Kathleen Philips will retire from her role as chief financial officer of the Zillow Group but stay on as chief legal officer through the end of the year, Zillow announced Tuesday alongside its first quarter earnings.
Philips will retire as CFO May 31, but will continue as chief legal officer until the end of 2018 and “transition toward retirement in 2020,” Zillow said. After her retirement as CFO this month, Philips will continue to advise Zillow on legal, corporate development and finance matters, the company said.
“My eight years at Zillow Group — including three years as CFO and chief legal officer — have been rewarding and challenging. I am very proud of what my team and I have accomplished over the years and am so grateful for the relationships I have built through my work at Zillow Group,” Philips said in a statement. “I’m confident the company is in good hands as I move toward retirement, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to continue on as an adviser, to ease the transition for myself and the company.”
Philips joined Zillow as general counsel in 2010, and in that role, she oversaw Zillow’s initial public offering in 2011. She oversaw 14 acquisitions, including Zillow’s acquisition of Trulia, in a role leading corporate development. Philips served as chief operating officer before she became CFO in 2015.
The best-known lawsuit Philips shepherded Zillow through was a legal battle between Zillow and realtor.com operator Move Inc. over trade secrets. The case reached a $130 million settlement in 2016 after two years.
Before joining Zillow, Philips served as general counsel of Hotwire, StubHub, Pure Digital Technologies and FanSnap. She remains a board member of the boards of the business management software provider Apptio and the special purpose acquisition company TPG Pace Holdings Corp.
“I am very grateful to Kathleen for her partnership and for all she has contributed to Zillow Group over the years,” Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff said in a statement.
“I’ve worked with Kathleen for most of my career, and she has been a trusted adviser and friend. Kathleen has helped lead Zillow Group through our most transformative milestones, from our IPO to the acquisition of Trulia. Kathleen started at Zillow as our general counsel but quickly expanded her role to include areas of the company as diverse as customer care and facilities, human resources and finance. She has been a true partner to me and to the entire executive team, and we will miss her greatly.”
Jennifer Rock will now serve as Zillow’s interim CFO, coming from a role running Zillow’s financial reporting, technical accounting and compliance department.
