First-of-its-kind leadership and succession planning program for real estate professionals graduates 39 participants from Anywhere network of affiliates and employees
MADISON, N.J., (April 20, 2023) – Anywhere Real Estate Inc. (NYSE: HOUS), a global leader in residential real estate services, today celebrated the eighth graduating class of Ascend: The Executive Leadership Experience (‘Ascend’). The cohort includes 39 aspiring real estate leaders, including broker-owners from each of the company’s family of brands – Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate, CENTURY 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, Corcoran®, ERA®, and Sotheby's International Realty® – in addition to employees from Anywhere, Anywhere Integrated Services, and Cartus.
Ascend is a first-of-its-kind program in real estate, designed to provide rising leaders with the skillset and tools to help shape the future of the industry. Anywhere offers the program to its brand-affiliated real estate broker-owners, senior members of large multi-office franchisees, and high-performing individuals from its service businesses, helping companies identify future executives and potential leadership successors.
Since its launch in 2015, Ascend has now graduated more than 270 professionals, many of whom have since become owners of their own businesses. Participants have a unique opportunity to engage in a rigorous 46-week educational journey, featuring a variety of leadership topics presented by industry thought leaders, to hone their personal and professional leadership acumen.
“I’m so proud of this year’s Ascend participants, who have made the decision to invest not only in themselves, but also in the future of their teams and businesses," said Sue Yannaccone, president and CEO of Anywhere Brands and Anywhere Advisors. "This program provides a forum for some of the great real estate visionaries to impart learnings onto the rising generation of leaders that will shape the future of the industry. I’m looking forward to seeing the continued personal and professional development of our graduates as they help move real estate to what’s next."
Ascend features intensive learning experiences that prepare participants to become successful brokerage and business leaders by challenging them to grow in three core areas identified in the program's mission statement: Leading Self. Leading Others. Leading Organizations.® The curriculum includes a wide spectrum of virtual sessions focusing on themes including emotional intelligence, financial analysis, leading innovation, diversity, recruiting and retention, and much more.
In 2022, the company also launched ACCELERATE, Powered by Ascend, offering tailored professional development programming for the company’s Inclusive Ownership Program, an initiative that provides financial assistance and guidance to diverse brokers seeking to affiliate with an Anywhere brand. Twenty-six broker-owners graduated from ACCELERATE in 2022.
“In its eighth year, Ascend continued to expand both its curricula and the spectrum of its participants,” said Mike Good, the Anywhere executive champion for Ascend. “It’s exciting to see so many ambitious leaders coming from diverse personal backgrounds and from different areas of our organization, whether it’s our brokerage, transaction services, or relocation businesses. This was an exceptionally talented group of engaged leaders who have now become part of our ongoing Ascend Alumni Network.”
Feedback from 2023 Ascend Graduates:
No matter what level or position in a brokerage or brokerage related business, Ascend provides both a strong understanding of people and business which, when taken together, provide a foundation and methodology to effectively help lead and grow the organization, and make it sustainable into the future. – Carol Dunning, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty
I feel as if my journey as a brokerage leader has been elevated to new levels – the ability to understand how to measure and interpret the data has been a game changer. I now have the means and a road map to take my leadership and business to the next level and achieve my vision for the company. – Jemila Winsey, ERA Legacy Living
When people ask me “what is Ascend?” I often explain it as the ‘Anywhere MBA’ that trains us all to be more effective business and industry leaders. Therefore, it has benefitted me directly with educational insights I may not have been privy to without taking modern MBA courses in organizational management. I most enjoyed learning about the metrics to success as well as the opportunity to learn from and interact amongst others in my field. – Anthony Benz, Coldwell Banker Harris McHaney & Faucette
I consider myself to be someone who makes data driven decisions. Ascend opened my eyes to so many additional sources and perspectives on getting your hands on data, transforming data into information, and applying that information to your business. – Kevin Morey, Anywhere Integrated Services
This program is excellent for those who are new to ownership or on their way to owning a company or leading a team within a company. It forces you to expand your thinking on what it takes to lead, what skills you need to sharpen, what data you need to understand and how to make change in your company and community. – Shari Sagan McGuirk, Sagan Harborside Sotheby's International Realty
About AnywhereSM
Anywhere Real Estate Inc. (NYSE: HOUS) is moving the real estate industry to what’s next. A leader of integrated residential real estate services in the U.S., Anywhere includes franchise, brokerage, relocation, and title and settlement businesses as well as a mortgage joint venture, supporting approximately 1.2 million home transactions in 2022. The diverse Anywhere brand portfolio includes some of the most recognized names in real estate: Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate, CENTURY 21®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, Corcoran®, ERA®, and Sotheby's International Realty®. Using innovative technology, data and marketing products, high-quality lead generation programs, and best-in-class learning and support services, Anywhere fuels the productivity of its approximately 195,000 independent sales agents in the U.S. and approximately 142,400 independent sales agents in 118 other countries and territories, helping them build stronger businesses and best serve today’s consumers. Recognized for twelve consecutive years as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, Anywhere has also been designated a Great Place to Work five years in a row, named one of LinkedIn’s 2022 Top Companies in the U.S., and honored on the Forbes list of World’s Best Employers 2022.
