In the latest roundup of South Florida real estate hiring news, Douglas Elliman has made a strategic Miami-based hire as CEO Michael Liebowitz charts a growth path for the brokerage.
Liebowitz named Areeje Akhtar Oriol as his chief of staff, according to a news release.
Oriol launched her career in media strategy with stints at 360i and Google and pivoted to the brokerage world in 2020 when Compass hired her as a senior manager in Miami focused on strategic growth. In 2023 she joined Official, the Side-backed brokerage co-founded by the disgraced Alexander brothers, as its head of growth.
When the firm effectively collapsed in the wake of sexual assault allegations against the brothers in 2024, Oriol jumped to a director of growth role at Bespoke Real Estate, her LinkedIn shows. She also founded Assemblage, a boutique strategic advisory firm.
In her new role at Elliman, Oriol will work with Liebowitz and other senior leadership on the brokerage’s strategic initiatives and organizational alignment, the release shows. The brokerage emphasized her experience with business development and strategy with luxury consumer-focused businesses in its release.
Since assuming the role of CEO in 2024 after longtime Elliman boss Howard Lorber abruptly retired, Liebowitz has been establishing the brokerage’s “new era.”
“I had a lot of ideas, a lot of it was diversification of the revenue stream. But then I got into the business, and it was not possible to do all of those things at the same time,” he told The Real Deal in an interview for The Closing in January.
Elsewhere in South Florida, the Wellington-based Bainbridge Companies named Catherine Neal as vice president of client services, a news release shows. Neal joins the firm from Nashville-based Elmington, a commercial real estate investment firm where she most recently served as vice president of client services and property management, according to LinkedIn. Her focus at Bainbridge will be to expand the firm’s third-party management platform and design growth-focused operational frameworks, the release shows.
In South Miami, Compass brought in the 36-agent Shelton Bernace Group, according to a news release. Led by Tere Shelton Bernace, the former co-owner of Shelton and Stewart Realtors, the group will be based in Compass’ South Miami office, the release shows. Shelton Bernace spent 14 years working in investment banking at Barclays before pivoting to real estate in 2002, her LinkedIn shows.
Miami-based Holland Public Relations named Giselle “Gigi” Blanco as its senior vice president of public relations, according to a news release. The real estate-focused public relations firm was founded by Elliman vet Ashley Holland in 2024. Blanco joins the firm from Elliman where she was most recently senior director of public relations. In her new role, she will aid in implementing Holland’s strategy for South Florida, Texas, California, New York and Massachusetts, the release shows.