Christie’s hires away Sotheby’s SoCal manager Michael Williamson

Sotheby’s International Realty has lost its regional manager for Southern California, Michael Williamson, to AKG Christie’s International Real Estate.

Williamson has joined AKG Christie’s as a broker and regional manager, according to an announcement from the brokerage. Williamson will support Jamie Duran, who joined Christie’s last month to help open seven offices for the firm across Southern California. 

Williamson joined Sotheby’s in 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he worked at John Aaroe Group, a brokerage that was acquired by Pacific Union, which was then bought by Compass. 

Christie’s, which entered the L.A. market by teaming up with star broker Aaron Kirman in November 2022, is planning to eventually open outposts in Newport Beach, Del Mar, Calabasas, Sherman Oaks, Montecito, Pasadena and Palm Springs. 

Williamson’s goal for 2024: “Attract quality salespeople to the brand,” he said in a statement. 

Kirman brokered $1.1 billion in on-market sales in 2023, ranking No. 1 on TRD’s Los Angeles residential agent list last year. 

Since Kirman jumped to join Christie’s from Compass, Christie’s has picked up a number of other top agents, including Cindy Ambuehl, ranked 16th on TRD’s 2022 list of top brokers in L.A. with $268 million in sales volume and Joe Babajian, a top L.A. agent in the 1990s and 2000s. 

“We’ve just begun,” Kirman said in February.