Brown Harris Stevens is saying goodbye to one of its top executives.
Diane Ramirez, the brokerage’s executive chairman and senior adviser, is stepping down after a little over a year with the firm, CEO Bess Freedman announced in a memo to agents Friday.
The move comes a year after Halstead — which Ramirez co-founded with Clark Halstead in 1984 — merged with Brown Harris Stevens. July 27 will be Ramirez’s final day with the company.
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Diane Ramirez named Halstead CEO
“While it has been an amazing experience, I have always been one to take on new challenges and it’s simply time for a change,” Ramirez said in a statement. The native of Jackson Heights, Queens, was Halstead’s president for 14 years before becoming its first CEO in 2013.
Seventeen years after Halstead’s launch, it was bought by Terra Holdings, which also owns Brown Harris Stevens. In the year since, the company has had the highest percentage change in agent headcount, with its number of agents more than doubling, largely because of the merger.
“One of the great joys of my career has been to work alongside Diane, whose legacy will remain very much part of the new Brown Harris Stevens as we continue to meet the future and thrive,” Freedman said.
No one will assume Ramirez’s titles at the brokerage.
“We are not replacing her, but we do have a very strong and experienced leadership structure in place across all of our markets,” said Ashley Murphy, senior vice president of communications at Brown Harris Stevens.