A little more than two years ago, Kamini Lane broke the mold when she became the first female president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Realty, the company-owned side of Coldwell Banker. During her tenure, Lane has reorganized and streamlined Coldwell Banker Realty‘s recruiting, retention and growth strategy, helping Coldwell Banker keep its place as one of Anywhere’s biggest brands by agent count and annual transaction sides.
Kamini Lane
Beyond her impact on Coldwell Banker Realty, Lane has stepped forward as an industry thought leader, giving insightful and nuanced advice on emotional intelligence in business, how to maintain a healthy work-life balance, diversity and consumer advocacy.
“When making difficult decisions, spreadsheets don’t tell the full story,” she said in a blog post, shared with Inman, that Coldwell Banker will soon publish. “The ability to recognize the human impact of each choice is an important guide through uncertainty and complexity … Standing firm in personal instincts and clearly expressing perspective isn’t always easy, but it’s essential. Confidence is shaped over time, through experience.”
This week, Lane will appear on stage at Inman Connect San Diego. Ahead of that appearance, she spoke with Inman about the importance of showing up at industry events, how to sustainably scale as brokerage consolidation speeds up, and how to course-correct after a merger or acquisition gone wrong.
You’ve been on the Inman Connect stage multiple times since taking the helm at Coldwell Banker Realty. What keeps you coming back to the conference?
Beyond great locations, showing up and being visible matters, especially as leaders. We may be competitors, but we’re all in this together. What excites me most is the fresh thinking that emerges when leaders, agents and tech partners share their unique perspectives on shared challenges. That’s where real creativity sparks.
I looked at your session, and I’m particularly excited about the topic — mergers and acquisitions. How have you seen the M&A space evolve amid so much internal and external pressure on the industry?
We knew consolidation in our industry was likely, but certainly it has become a hot topic and will continue. With deals being announced and rumors swirling, it’s easy to feel external pressure or FOMO. But as leaders, we can’t afford to chase deals just to keep up. The real discipline lies in knowing your business inside and out and what truly moves the needle for your agents and customers. That clarity helps cut through the noise and keeps you focused on what matters most.
At Coldwell Banker and Anywhere, we’re actively monitoring ways to strengthen our position in this opportunity-rich environment.
What’s the key to sustainable scaling? What are the questions leaders should ask themselves before they pursue an M&A opportunity?
Be very clear about what your business needs are. Market share? Diversified service offerings? At Coldwell Banker Realty (and Anywhere), we’re being selective and coming from a place of strength. How can we build on what we’ve already created? Who fits into our ecosystem and provides value?
Cultural and organizational fit is critical. I am a big believer in looking at the people, not just the spreadsheet. Both things must align to achieve a desirable outcome.
Mergers and acquisitions come with risk. How should a leader respond when they realize they’ve made a mistake, whether it’s growing too fast or choosing the wrong M&A partner? How can they effectively course-correct?
Often, the best move is to optimize what is working. Is there top talent to retain or great products and tech you can build on? Are there tweaks that can be made to realign offerings? Most M&A comes with some complexities, and it takes leaning into hard conversations and making deliberate adjustments to make things work.
Coldwell Banker is one of the largest and oldest real estate brokerages in the world. What’s the most poignant lesson you’ve learned from CB’s history, and how does it inform where you see CB going in the future?
Coldwell Banker’s history is unique — it was founded to be a trusted advisor during a time of chaos born out of the San Francisco earthquakes, when some were looking to take advantage of property owners. One hundred and nineteen years later, that’s still our north star for everything — to be trusted advisors and bring the right combination of experience, data and care to every client.
Coldwell Banker agents don’t just show up, they show up with a plan. Trust in the industry has had its challenges over the last few years, but the noise will never change our values. Our future is to continue being the home to the most productive agents. We are building our business to be the best human-powered, tech-enabled support for agents to grow their business.
