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Crafting a C-Suite Career in Real Estate: What Kim Harris Campbell’s Move Teaches Aspiring Leaders

jjobsearch

2026-01-27

9 min read

Kim Harris Campbell’s move from Compass to Century 21 New Millennium shows how to translate tech‑forward experience into CEO and board roles.

From Headache to Headway: Why Breaking into the C‑Suite Still Feels Impossible — and How Kim Harris Campbell’s Move Clears the Path

Many high‑performing managers and rising executives in real estate tell us the same problem: you have domain experience, but you don’t know how to turn it into a clear pathway to the top. The jump from director or regional leader to real estate CEO feels especially narrow when firms prize a mix of sales chops, tech fluency and board‑level governance experience.

Kim Harris Campbell’s appointment as CEO of Century 21 New Millennium in early 2026 is a perfect modern case study: a leader moving from Compass into a major brokerage, stepping into full operational leadership while the founding CEO transitions to a chairman and newly created board. That transition shows what hiring committees now prize — and how you can engineer your own career transition toward the C‑suite and board roles.

Quick snapshot: what happened at Century 21 New Millennium

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw continued consolidation and leadership reshuffles across U.S. brokerages. In that wave, Kim Harris Campbell — previously an executive at Compass — was named CEO of Century 21 New Millennium and CEO of its parent, NM Real Estate Services. The firm’s founder and former CEO, Todd Hetherington, moved into a chairman role on a newly created board that includes founders and partners who will focus on governance and strategy.

“Century 21 New Millennium has always been more than a business to me. It is part of my DNA,” Todd Hetherington said, underscoring a pattern we now see often: founders transitioning to governance roles to preserve institutional knowledge while new executives drive scale.

Why this transition matters for aspiring C‑suite candidates in 2026

Three structural shifts in the real estate industry make Kim Harris Campbell’s move especially instructive for career builders:

Cross‑pollination of talent: Tech‑forward brokerages like Compass have exported product, data and growth practices to traditional brokerages hungry for scale and modern agent tooling.
Founder succession as governance: Creating a board and moving founders to chairman roles is now a common succession route — and it favors candidates who can demonstrate both execution and stakeholder partnership skills.
Demand for hybrid skills: Boards want executives who combine P&L experience, product/tech literacy, M&A or partnership experience, and demonstrated people leadership.

How Compass experience maps to a brokerage CEO role: the transferable playbook

Moving from Compass (or another proptech‑oriented firm) to a traditional brokerage is not a lateral move — it’s a translation exercise. Here’s how to turn your Compass background into CEO credentials:

Product & data fluency → Agent enablement: Show how you used product or data to increase agent productivity (e.g., reduced time‑to‑listing, improved conversion rates).
Growth playbooks → Scalable operations: Translate user acquisition and growth metrics into scalable real‑world agent recruiting, onboarding and retention systems.
Tech implementations → Cost & efficiency wins: Document how technology rollouts reduced transaction friction, transaction costs, or cycle time for brokers and agents.
Partnership/M&A experience → Integration leadership: If you led integrations or partnerships, position that as core experience for scaling a franchise or multi‑office brokerage (see portfolio operations & integrations case studies).

Practical resume language examples

When you write your executive resume, translate platform metrics into traditional brokerage KPIs:

Instead of “launched agent CRM,” write: “Led implementation of agent CRM adopted by 85% of roster, cutting average listing time by 12% and increasing agent retention by 9%.”
Replace “drove user growth” with: “Scaled recruiting program to add 230 productive agents in 18 months, generating $45M incremental GCI.”

What hiring committees and boards look for in 2026

Board searches for real estate CEOs now emphasize a blended scorecard. Top criteria include:

Proven P&L ownership with multi‑year growth and margin improvements.
Change leadership — evidence of leading major transformations (tech, M&A, new market entry).
Agent & franchise economics — understanding agent economics, splits, compensation plans and retention levers.
Governance and stakeholder skills — credibility with founders, investors and external partners.
Forward‑looking capabilities such as AI/ML literacy, data governance, and digital product strategy.

Designing an executive resume that wins interviews

Your executive resume must be both concise and deeply quantifiable. For real estate CEO and board roles, follow this structure:

Header & title: Name, contact, LinkedIn, one‑line title (e.g., “Growth & Operations Executive — Real Estate & PropTech”).
Executive summary: 3–4 lines that highlight P&L scale, transformation wins, and board readiness.
Core competencies: Short list (P&L Management, M&A, Product Strategy, Franchise Operations, Board Governance, AI in Real Estate).
Selected achievements: 6–8 bullet points per role, each starting with a strong action verb and including metrics.
Board & governance: Any current or previous board seats, advisory roles, or governance training (put these high if you’re targeting director roles).
Education & certifications: MBA, NACD, governance certificates, or real estate licensure as applicable.
Public & media: Speaking engagements and industry publications — especially valuable for visibility.

Example executive bullet (model for your resume)

“Scaled national agent enablement program to 12 markets, increasing gross commission income (GCI) by 28% and reducing operating cost per transaction by 14% over 24 months; led cross‑functional team of 80 (product, ops, sales) and managed a $12M rollout budget.”

Preparing for board roles: the planner every aspiring director needs

Many leaders assume board roles naturally follow a CEO title. In 2026, boards are more deliberate. Becoming “board‑ready” requires planned steps:

Governance education: Complete a recognized board certificate (NACD, Stanford/Harvard director’s program, or similar) or refresh your teaching & learning approach with targeted programs (see short governance/education briefs).
Committee experience: Start with advisory or nonprofit boards where you can chair audit, risk or compensation committees.
Public company or investor exposure: Work with investors, PE sponsors, or on IPO/M&A transactions to gain investor governance fluency.
Director resume: Create a 1–2 page board CV that focuses on governance outcomes, committee roles, and stakeholder engagement — treat it like a future‑proof biography focused on governance impact.
Network with search firms: Build relationships with executive search firms specializing in board placements and corporate governance.

Actionable 12‑24 month board readiness roadmap

Months 1–3: Enroll in a director education program; refresh your LinkedIn and board CV.
Months 4–9: Take an advisory seat or nonprofit board role; seek a committee chair opportunity.
Months 10–18: Publicly speak or publish on governance/strategy topics to increase visibility.
Months 18–24: Engage a board recruiter and apply for independent director roles aligned with your sector expertise.

Succession lessons from the Hetherington → Harris Campbell transition

The Century 21 New Millennium change shows a healthy succession model: founders move into strategic oversight while an operator takes daily control. For potential successors this implies three practical behaviors:

Co‑design the transition: Build a relationship with founders and demonstrate you can preserve culture while raising performance.
Deliver early wins: Articulate a 100‑day plan for revenue, agent engagement and operations that reassures stakeholders.
Operationalize governance: Show you can work with a board, prepare CEO reports, and translate strategy into measurable KPIs.

Leadership and management skills to emphasize now

Boards in 2026 hire leaders who blend classical management skills with future‑facing capabilities. Make sure your profile demonstrates:

Strategic P&L management: Consistent revenue and margin improvements, cost optimization, pricing strategy.
People & culture: Talent pipelines for agents and managers, diversity and retention metrics.
Technology leadership: AI/automation adoption, data governance, digital product roadmaps.
Stakeholder communication: Investor relations, franchisee/agent town halls, media preparedness.
Crisis and change management: Examples of navigating regulatory shifts, market downturns, or reputational risk.

Interview prep: how to sell a cross‑industry career transition to a board

When boards interview you as a candidate coming from Compass or another non‑traditional brokerage, make these moves:

Frame your narrative: Lead with outcomes and cross‑industry value, not the company label.
Bring metrics: Quantify agent economics, retention improvements, revenue per agent, cost per transaction — tie them to business outcomes.
Share a 100/200/365 day plan: Specific, measurable objectives show you can operate from day one.
Anticipate governance questions: Describe how you’ll work with a board, report KPIs, and escalate risks.
Be prepared to negotiate: Expect blended compensation (base, bonus tied to GCI/EBITDA, and equity); use market comps for 2026 real estate CEOs to justify packages.

Advanced strategies to accelerate your path (for ambitious leaders)

Public thought leadership: Publish case studies on agent enablement or tech adoption. Recruiters use visible content to validate claims (see playbooks for producing shareable content).
M&A playbook: Lead or co‑lead small bolt‑on acquisitions to show transaction and integration competence.
Cross‑sector advisory roles: Advise PE firms, REITs, or proptech startups to broaden perspectives and bolster your board candidacy.
Mentorship & succession coaching: Coach high‑potential leaders inside your organization to show you build repeatable leadership pipelines.

Checklists: Update your executive resume and board CV today

Use these short checklists to refresh your materials immediately.

Executive resume checklist

Lead with a clear value proposition (CEO‑ready headline).
Include 6–8 quantified achievements per senior role.
Demonstrate P&L scale (revenues, EBITDA, transaction volume).
Highlight cross‑disciplinary wins (tech + operations + people).
List governance education and any board/advisory roles.

Board CV checklist

Two pages max; focus on governance outcomes.
List committee experience and key decisions you influenced.
Show investor/owner interaction and capital allocation experience.
Include director education and relevant risk/ESG competencies.

Final takeaways: Three moves to make this quarter

Translate one product/tech project into brokerage KPIs: Reframe it on your resume and LinkedIn with clear agent and revenue impacts.
Enroll in governance training: A director certificate is an immediate credibility booster.
Build a 100‑day plan template: Customize it for CEO interviews and use it to lead conversations with founders and boards.

Why 2026 is the right time to act

Industry consolidation and rapid tech adoption that accelerated in late 2025 mean boards are actively seeking leaders who can merge traditional brokerage economics with modern product and data practices. If you can prove the combination — like Kim Harris Campbell’s move signals — you’re not just qualified; you’re in demand.

Call to action

Ready to turn your next role into a C‑suite or board appointment? Start by updating your executive resume and board CV using the checklists above. For a focused next step, craft that 100‑day plan and test it in a mock board interview. If you want hands‑on help, download the JobSearch.page Executive Resume & Board‑Ready Checklist or submit your resume for a professional 10‑point review — then book a strategy session to map your 12–24 month succession plan.

Kim Harris Campbell’s transition is a roadmap — not an exception. With the right translation of experience, governance readiness, and a measurable leadership plan, your path to the C‑suite and board roles in real estate is actionable and within reach.

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