Lori Hyland Names New Hilton & Hyland Broker Manager

Hilton & Hyland Chair Lori Hyland turned the page in 2025 with a new office and, more recently, a fresh face to serve as the Beverly Hills firm’s broker manager, The Real Deal has learned.

The appointment of Felix Pena, who has been with Hilton & Hyland for over 20 years, comes after former managing director Steve Katz quietly exited the brokerage after a little over a year in the position.

Hyland called Pena, who is also a non-practicing attorney, an “exceptional broker” who knows Hilton & Hyland “very well.”

“We’re very, very fond of Steve and we wish him the best,” Hyland told TRD on Tuesday. “He was a wonderful presence.”

Katz did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Hyland said Katz officially left the brokerage about a month ago. State Department of Real Estate records show a Jan. 30 end to his time as broker associate with the company and no move of his license to a new firm.

Katz joined Hilton & Hyland in December 2024 during a time of transition within its executive ranks. About a week before Katz was announced as the brokerage’s new managing director, Hilton & Hyland saw former President David Kramer, along with his six-person team, decamp to Compass’ Beverly Hills office. Kramer’s group, with $1.7 billion in career sales, left to focus on sales.

At the time of Katz’s appointment, Hilton & Hyland said the executive would work with Hyland and former General Counsel Chrystal Ferber as a trio managing the firm’s day-to-day operations and overseeing business strategy.

Ferber, who left the brokerage last April, called Katz’s appointment “not just an appointment – it’s a statement.”

Meanwhile, the brokerage has continued to see agent departures. Hyland confirmed the firm’s headcount currently sits at around 25, which is a significant cut from the over 100 agents and staff that made up the roster in 2018 when the company moved into its now former office at 257 North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills.

There was also last year’s tussle with Hilton & Hyland’s former landlord, Standard Oil Investment Group. The property owner sued the brokerage for more than $650,000 in unpaid rent on the Canon Drive space in a lawsuit that appears to be winding down. The landlord asked a judge to approve a request for the case’s dismissal in November. Meanwhile, the end of 2025 saw Hilton & Hyland leave the Standard Oil Building for a smaller footprint at 345 North Maple Drive, which Hyland told TRD at the time had nothing to do with the rent dispute.

Despite the downsized office space, Hyland said they’re interviewing agents.

“Anybody that has a good reputation, good track record and has a good portfolio of properties, we welcome,” she said.

Hyland is the wife of the late Hilton & Hyland co-founder Jeff Hyland, who started the company with Rick Hilton in 1993.

Even with changes at the brokerage and what some might call a rugged stretch for the business, Lori Hyland said she and, now Pena, are committed to continuing on with the business.

“I’ve been associated with this for all my life being Jeff’s wife,” Hyland said. “He founded it some 30 years ago, so we just want to continue to do business. Hilton & Hyland is associated with luxury real estate, and this is what we want to continue doing.”