UPDATED, June 8, 2022, 4 p.m.: Lauren Balbuena’s tenure as Keller Williams NYC CEO and team leader is over, with Allyssa Compton-Disla stepping in as her replacement.
Balbuena was tapped to replace former CEO Mark Chin in 2020. The chief executive was tasked with growth and profitability as part of her reign, under which Keller Williams did indeed experience a comeback.
After losing more than a third of its agents in 2019, the brokerage increased its agent count by more than 40 percent for the second year in a row in 2021. Keller Williams is now home to over 600 licensed salespeople after the boost, but stands smaller than its former 900-agent self.
Balbuena has joined Sotheby’s International Realty as a growth manager for the Eastern Region, where she will be responsible for growing the brokerage’s East Coast agent network by partnering with brokerage managers to identify, recruit and retain agents.
Compton-Disla comes to KWNYC with 11 years of real estate experience, most recently as team leader and business partner to Rich Amato — who bought the franchise from Ilan Bracha and Haim Binstock in 2020 — at Keller Williams in Bay Ridge. Prior to that, she spent three years as team leader and CEO of the Keller Williams Fort Lee, New Jersey location, where she grew the office to nearly 400 agents.
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![From left: Keller Williams' Mark Chin, Richard Amato, and CEO Lauren Balbuena (Keller Williams; NY State MLS)](https://static.therealdeal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ft-keller-williams-ceo-shakeup-250x179.jpg)
![Keller Williams' Lauren Balbuena and Compass CEO Robert Reffkin (Keller Williams, Getty/Illustration by The Real Deal)](https://static.therealdeal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ft-Keller-Williams-NYCs-agent-count-made-a-comeback-while-Compass-slowed-to-a-crawl-250x179.jpg)
![Keller Williams CEO Mark Chin and 99 Park Avenue (Google Maps)](https://static.therealdeal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ft-keller-williams-moves-to-99-park-200x200.jpg)
She started her career in real estate as an investor and then became a salesperson with Keller Williams Hudson Valley, a team she ultimately sold in order to move into leadership.
After purchasing their rights to the franchise, Amato consolidated two Midtown and Tribeca Keller Williams offices, which were run as separate businesses.
In July 2020, the residential firm announced it will occupy more than 20,000 square feet at 99 Park Avenue in Midtown. It previously had around 15,000 square feet at 379 Broadway in Tribeca, which was owned by the brokerage’s prior owners, Bracha and Binstock.
This article has been updated with information on Balbuena’s new role.