Martha Turner Sotheby’s Shifts Houston Leadership

Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty is reshuffling its leadership team as it absorbs a brokerage and expands its regional presence.

Former senior Vice President Paul Kilian was promoted to co-president, joining Robin Conner, who has led the brokerage since 2021, the Houston Business Journal reported.

Conner, meanwhile, was elevated to regional executive vice president of Sotheby’s International Realty, adding oversight of the brand’s office in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to her responsibilities.

The leadership changes come on the heels of Martha Turner Sotheby’s acquisition of Steel Door Realty, a firm founded in 2019 that reported $47 million in closed sales over the past year.

The 11-broker team from Steel Door, led by Brittany Waterman and Rachel Hrncir, will close its Heights office and operate out of Martha Turner Sotheby’s central Houston office, at 1717 West Loop South, near the Galleria.

Founded in 1981 by the late Martha Turner, the firm has grown into a regional powerhouse. Turner and founding partner Tom Anderson stepped down as co-presidents in 2015.

At the time of Turner’s death in 2022, the company was logging more than $2 billion in annual sales. In 2023, it recorded $2.13 billion in local sales volume, ranking fourth among Houston-area residential brokerages, the outlet said.

Kilian has been with the firm since 2014. His promotion positions him to co-lead the firm’s Houston operations and support the integration of the former Steel Door agents. Kilian and Conner will jointly oversee agent management, recruiting and market expansion efforts across the brokerage’s six offices in the Houston metro.

— Judah Duke