Compass International Holdings (CIH) continues to rearrange the chessboard, this time with longtime executive Rory Golod taking on the role as president of growth.
In his new role, Golod will focus on agent recruitment, mergers and acquisitions, corporate communications, coaching, and tech adoption across CIH’s eight brands.
Robert Reffkin
“Rory has a proven track record of helping agents grow and realize their entrepreneurial potential — from co-leading our brokerage business to driving our nationwide growth,” Compass Chairman and CEO Robert Reffkin said in a statement on Monday. “He has the experience and agent-first mindset to drive their success on our unified platform so they can deliver the best outcomes for their clients.”
In a brief interview with Inman, Golod said his previous experience at Compass, which includes roles as regional president for several key markets, president of growth, and chief of staff, has prepared him to take on the challenge of serving agents — whom he considers his clients — at eight major brands. Those brands include Compass, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, CENTURY 21, Coldwell Banker, Coldwell Banker Commercial, Corcoran, ERA, and Sotheby’s International Realty.
“Throughout my 11-plus years at the company, I have spent the vast majority of my time working directly with our clients: agents,” he said. “And so, throughout that work, I’ve gotten to really get a front-row seat to all the ways agents are looking to grow their businesses, how they can grow their businesses, and, most importantly, how technology can enhance their ability to grow their businesses.”
“A lot of it is taking what I’ve learned in the field and applying it to our business. You know, Leonard Steinberg has this great line where he calls it, ‘high tech, high touch,”’ he added. “That really is the vision for what we’re building with the platform and with bringing all of our agents onto the same platforms, helping our agents create a high-tech, high-touch experience for their clients. It’s not either-or. It’s both.”
Rory Golod
The newly minted president said he’s already making connections with leaders and agents at Anywhere’s former brands, and is making appearances alongside Reffkin at industry events. He said the main priority is to introduce former Anywhere-affiliated agents to the Compass tech ecosystem and all it offers to help them achieve “better outcomes, grow their business more, and do more transactions.”
Golod maintains that CIH won’t force agents to adopt Compass’s tech, echoing a promise Reffkin made in an Inman op-ed announcing the merger. This approach, he said, gives him and his team the opportunity to “earn” the trust of agents at those brands through results.
“We’re going to be standing up a tremendous amount of coaching resources so that our agents at all the different brands can learn not just how to use the technology, but actually use it to grow their businesses, save time and create a great experience for their clients,” he said. “Using it is one thing, but making it valuable is another.”
“We want to earn everyone’s usage of the platform. Because if you earn it, it’s sustainable, right?” he added.
Golod’s promotion is the latest in a string of Compass and former Anywhere leaders who have moved to CIH.
Anywhere veteran Sue Yannaccone was named CIH’s first Chief Operating Officer last month, while former Compass executives Tim Gustavson and Shay Artzi have moved into their respective C-suite accounting and tech roles at the holding company. Compass also promoted longtime leader Neda Navab to brokerage president as part of Reffkin’s transition into his role as the head of Compass International Holdings.
