Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. has named Sherry A. Chris as its chief operating officer, the company announced Monday afternoon.
Chris, who has more than 25 years of real estate sales, management and executive experience, will begin her role effective Dec. 4, 2006. She will be based at the Coldwell Banker corporate headquarters in Parsippany, N.J., and report to Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp.
In this position, Chris will direct the company’s operations, education, mortgage and field services programs. She will also focus on communication between Coldwell Banker corporate headquarters, regional offices and its nearly 4,000-office affiliate network around the world.
Chris has spent the last 15 months serving as the chief operating officer of Pleasanton, Calif.-based Prudential California Realty where she oversaw all financial aspects of the company. She helped the company grow to become the eighth-largest real estate company in the United States with 64 company owned and 70 franchised offices in California, Nevada and Texas.
Chris began her career in 1980 at Ontario-based Gould Realty as a sales associate and later a manager. She then joined the real estate brokerage operation at Canada Trust, before joining Toronto-based Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. in 1987. After 10 years as a branch and area manager, Chris was promoted in 1997 to vice president and regional manager. She was promoted again two years later to executive vice president of network services. She held that position until 2003 when she was named president of Real Living Network Services, based in Columbus, Ohio, where she oversaw a 10-state franchising operation, merger/acquisitions and company-wide recruiting strategy, along with developing a sales associate service platform that included education, technology and marketing services.
Well known in the real estate industry, Chris is on the advisory board of several prominent organizations, including Trulia.com and Google Real Estate. She has served as chairman of the board of the Realty Alliance and also speaks frequently at prominent industry events.
“Sherry is a great addition to the Coldwell Banker brand,” said Gillespie. “She has a dynamic personality, is extremely engaging, and most of all lives and breathes real estate. She has served in all aspects of our business and has spent a significant part of her career on the servicing side. We were especially attracted to her understanding of how technology will shape the industry and profitability of sales associates, managers and broker/owners.”
Chris is a graduate of The University of Western Ontario and earned a Master of Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business.
