A leadership shakeup at ERA; new CMO at FirstTeam 

Editor's note: As an industry with millions of agents and over 100,000 brokerage companies, new leaders rise to the top every day. Here we highlight executives and other notable leaders who've recently taken on, or stepped away from, roles that influence the residential real estate landscape.

ERA appoints new president

ERA Real Estate has a new leader, the franchise brand announced today. Longtime ERA executive Frank Malpica has been promoted to president, replacing Alex Vidal.

Malpica has been with the franchisor and its former parent, Anywhere Real Estate, for more than 15 years. He most recently served as ERA's senior vice president of franchise development and M&As, a position he'd held since early 2024. While in that role, he "added billions in sales volume through strategic affiliations," according to a news release. 

Previously, he was SVP of global growth and operations for Anywhere Franchise Brands. During his tenure with Anywhere and ERA, he has also been involved in marketing, product development, affiliated services, lead generation and business development, the company said.

"Frank is a growth leader who understands ERA from the inside out," Liz Gehringer, Compass International Holdings president and CEO of brands, said in the announcement. "He has spent nearly two decades helping shape the ERA brand's evolution, building meaningful relationships across the network and driving value for our real estate professionals."

Malpica said he was "honored to lead a brand that has been such an important part of my professional journey." 

Vidal, who moved into the top role at ERA in 2023, will depart the company. He spent many years with Anywhere Brands, serving as an ERA agent and franchise VP before moving to Coldwell Banker as a regional vice president. When he was appointed president of ERA, he became the first Hispanic leader to helm a national real estate brand.

"We are grateful to Alex Vidal for his leadership and many contributions to ERA," Gehringer said. "During his tenure, he helped strengthen our brand, champion innovation across the network and position ERA for continued growth. We wish him every success in his next chapter."

FirstTeam elevates marketing leader

FirstTeam has named Lauren Henss chief marketing and strategy officer, the company announced this week. Henss previously served as the firm's VP of marketing and strategic initiatives. 

Since joining the fast-growing independent brokerage in 2024, Henss has worked to reposition the firm as a modern brand, helping "transform marketing from a traditional support function into a strategic growth engine at the center of brand, recruitment, retention, product, technology, and revenue," FirstTeam said in a news release. 

The brokerage highlighted her role in expanding the firm's "Behind the Agent" philosophy "into a fully realized brand platform ecosystem that showcases the expertise and stories of the company's agents while supporting career development and ownership opportunities," as well as her leadership of FirstTeam's digital evolution and integration of AI into its systems. 

Henss also drove the firm's collaboration with Brown Harris Stevens, announced in May, to create what the companies called a "strategic multi-year marketing partnership."

The promotion comes as FirstTeam continues to push into new markets, partnering with a Kansas City firm earlier this month and a California Central Coast indie in July. The Southern California-based brokerage, which is home to more than 2,000 agents, began its nationwide expansion last year.