Coldwell Banker appoints new CMO; PLACE adds mortgage leader 

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.

Coldwell Banker promotes marketing exec to C-suite

Coldwell Banker has promoted Lindsay Listanski to chief marketing officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate, a role that consolidates brand, brokerage and commercial marketing efforts to create a more unified structure across the brokerage's network, according to a news release.

Listanski has more than 15 years of experience with the Coldwell Banker brand, and over the course of her career has held leadership roles in social media, public relations, communications and field marketing. She will continue leading the Coldwell Banker Realty marketing organization while taking responsibility for national brand marketing and Coldwell Banker Commercial marketing, the company said.

As part of her new role, Listanski will also oversee the continued rollout of the brand's Home Platform initiative, which launched under her leadership and is expected to be available to affiliated companies next year.

Brandon Newman will continue overseeing visual standards, national advertising execution and the Global Luxury program, the company said, and will report to Listanski as the marketing teams align their national strategy with market execution at the local levels.

PLACE adds 2-decade mortgage leader

PLACE, a back-end platform supporting brokerage, mortgage and title operations, has appointed Chad Smith to serve as CEO of Envoy Mortgage and president of the company's Mortgage and Financial Services division, the company announced this week. The move, PLACE said, will further integrate lenders into its homeownership ecosystem.

Smith brings more than two decades of mortgage industry leadership experience to the role. His past positions include chief operating officer and president of Better.com, CEO at Mission Loans and president of direct lending at loanDepot, according to a news release.

At Envoy Mortgage, Smith will lead efforts to expand the lender's reach among real estate professionals and integrate its mortgage operations with PLACE's broader services. Envoy has invested in technology, personnel and processes over the past few years, which the company said has contributed to gains in productivity and market share.

"I am ecstatic to join the PLACE family," Smith said. "Partnering with PLACE allows Envoy to expand its footprint and work with more of the best talent in the real estate industry as we transform the consumer experience through proprietary tech and top mortgage professionals."

Offerpad's board of directors expands

Offerpad has appointed Benjamin Graboske to serve on its board of directors, bringing a technology and data executive to the iBuyer board's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Graboske was most recently the EVP of technology and engineering at Definitive Healthcare, where he also served as chief data officer. In those roles, he led global data strategy, product innovation and engineering initiatives, according to a news release.

Graboske also previously served as head of mortgage data and analytics at Intercontinental Exchange and spent nearly a decade as president of data and analytics at Black Knight, where he oversaw products and services for real estate, mortgage, capital markets and government clients.

Offerpad said Graboske's appointment adds data, AI and technology expertise to its board at a time when the iBuyer is seeking opportunities to expand its offerings.

Graboske "is exactly the kind of bold, growth-minded leader who strengthens an already exceptional Board," Offerpad Chairman and CEO Brian Bair said. "His track record scaling multi-billion-dollar data and analytics businesses brings even more of the data, AI, and technology expertise that will support Offerpad's growth and how we serve homeowners and partners."

Blackstone's real estate leader departs

Nadeem Meghji, the global head of real estate at Blackstone since the beginning of 2026, is leaving the firm, according to The Wall Street Journal. The financial services company confirmed Meghji's departure with the paper this week.

Meghji, who has spent nearly 20 years at Blackstone, took over the company's top real estate leadership role in January. He previously co-led the division for two years before his former colleague, Kathleen McCarthy, left the company, paving the way for Meghji to lead the division alone.

Meghji is leaving the company to spend more time with his family, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The company's president, Jonathan Gray, expressed confidence in the firm's ability to move forward without its top real estate leader, telling the paper that Blackstone has "a business with an enormous amount of continuity and tremendous talent."

Editor's note: AI was used in the initial drafting of this content, which was then thoroughly reviewed, fact-checked and revised by a Real Estate News editor.