Veteran exec bounces back to BHS from Warburg Realty

Stephen Klym to lead BHS Downtown starting Nov. 8

BHS Senior EVP Stephen Klym and BHS CEO Bess Freedman (left) (Klym via Rabih Chebab)
BHS Senior EVP Stephen Klym and BHS CEO Bess Freedman (left) (Klym via Rabih Chebab)

Well, that was quick.

After five months as an executive at Warburg Realty, Stephen Klym is returning to Brown Harris Stevens.

The veteran executive will serve as senior executive vice president and managing director of sales for BHS Downtown starting Nov. 8. He will oversee sales at the firm’s 130 Fifth Avenue, 831 Broadway and 43 North Moore Street locations alongside downtown executive vice president and managing director of sales Sara Rotter.

Klym previously worked at Warburg as marketing director and senior managing director from 1999 to 2007. He then spent 14 years at BHS, the bulk of that time as executive vice president for BHS Downtown.

Klym left BHS for Warburg in June, filling a vacancy left by Brennan Zahler as sales director for its Tribeca office and senior vice president for strategic initiatives. At the time, Klym said he planned to help Warburg stand out among “monolithic companies that offer conveyor belt-like service.”

Shortly after Coldwell Banker acquired the independent boutique brokerage, however, there seems to be a change in Klym’s plans.

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“My decision to return to BHS is based on where I feel my skills would be best utilized and the firm’s unique position as a privately held luxury brokerage,” Klym said. He also wished Peters success on the firm’s next chapter.

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Peters returned the well-wishes for Klym and emphasized the brokerage’s preparations for 2022, when it will be rebranded as Coldwell Banker Warburg.

“Our entire Warburg team remains excited as we move ahead assimilating the transformative suite of tools provided by our new relationship with Coldwell Banker,” Peters said in a statement.

Warburg is in active talks to fill Klym’s role, a spokesperson for the firm said.

Klym’s departure comes days after three top Warburg agents left the brokerage for rival Compass. The trio said the decision to leave the firm was unrelated to its new partnership.