Path to CEO in Real Estate Franchises: Lessons from Kim Harris Campbell’s Move to Century 21

Hook: Stuck below the C-suite? Use this real world playbook

Many senior leaders in real estate feel stalled between director level and the C-suite. You know the industry, but not the concrete moves that convert a strong resume into an invite to lead a franchisor. Kim Harris Campbell's immediate appointment as CEO of Century 21 New Millennium in early 2026 offers a timely roadmap. Her move is a reminder that franchisor CEO roles need a specific mix of operational depth, franchise know how, board readiness, and strategic vision — skills you can develop, document, and demonstrate in interviews and board conversations.

Why Kim Harris Campbell's appointment matters in 2026

In January 2026 Century 21 New Millennium named Kim Harris Campbell, a former Compass executive, as CEO of the brokerage and of NM Real Estate Services, its parent company. The company also restructured governance, with co founder Todd Hetherington stepping to chairman and creating a new board that includes industry peers such as Tara Brown, CEO of Peerage Realty Partners. Peerage has supported NM Real Estate Services since 2021.

New leadership paired with a purpose built board signals planned succession and strategic scale, not a sudden exit

That combination matters. It mirrors late 2025 and early 2026 industry dynamics: franchisors and regional brokerages are consolidating, private capital is more active, and franchisors need leaders who can modernize tech stacks, manage M&A, and keep agent retention high in tighter markets.

Topline lesson

To get to CEO in a real estate franchisor you must deliver measurable growth, lead across functions, show board level judgment, and position yourself for succession. The rest of this article breaks down the path, the skills hiring committees look for, and the interview and portfolio tactics that win offers.

Typical leadership path to a franchisor CEO

There is no single route, but most franchisor CEOs share a pattern of cross functional experience and scaled leadership.

• Frontline credibility 3 7 years: top producing agent or local office leader who understands agent economics and client workflows.
• Regional scale 3 6 years: regional manager or market lead accountable for P L, recruitment, and retention across multiple offices.
• Corporate ops and product 2 5 years: roles in franchise development, operations, or product that require cross functional leadership and platform rollout experience.
• Executive leadership 2 6 years: COO, Head of Franchise Development, Chief Growth Officer, or General Manager with full P L responsibility and board exposure.
• Board and investor experience: advisory or board seats, involvement in M A, or regular reporting to private equity or strategic investors.

Kim Harris Campbell fits this arc in the public narrative: she joins Century 21 New Millennium from Compass, bringing experience from a major national brokerage to a franchisor operating at scale. That cross pollination is now common as franchisors seek leaders who have run both agent facing and corporate initiatives.

Core executive skills that win franchisor CEO roles

Hiring committees evaluating CEO candidates for franchisors typically look for a mix of operational mastery, strategic orientation, and governance readiness. Here are the high impact competencies and how to demonstrate them.

1. Strategic vision and market strategy

• How to show it: Present a 3 year growth roadmap with revenue and margin targets, channel strategies, and competitive differentiation using data.
• Key metrics: compound agent growth, lead conversion lift, revenue per agent, contribution margin.

2. P L ownership and commercial acumen

• How to show it: Include signed budgets you owned, cost optimization outcomes, and scenarios you modeled for different interest rate environments.
• Key metrics: EBITDA improvement, cost per lead, agent lifetime value.

3. Franchise operations and compliance

• How to show it: Document franchise disclosure compliance, territory design or performance metrics, and franchisee satisfaction or NPS improvements.
• Key metrics: franchisee renewal rate, FDD accuracy, onboarding time to productivity.

4. Technology and data fluency

• Why it matters in 2026: Proptech adoption accelerated through 2023 2025 and AI augmented lead gen, pricing and agent coach tools are now table stakes.
• How to show it: Lead a CRM migration, AI pilot or data platform rollout and quantify agent adoption and productivity gains. For practical guidance on running pilots and evaluating AI hardware/software tradeoffs, see a benchmarking approach such as real-world AI benchmarking.

5. M A and capital markets experience

• How to show it: Document involvement in acquisitions, integrations, or capital raises. Even executive sponsorship of due diligence or integration plans counts.
• Key metrics: deal multiples, integration cost synergies, retention of acquired agents.

6. People leadership and culture scaling

• How to show it: Provide retention data, leadership development programs you launched, and employee engagement improvements.
• Key metrics: voluntary turnover rate, internal promotion rate, DE I targets met.

Board roles, governance, and the founder to chairman pattern

The Century 21 New Millennium example shows a common succession structure: founders step to chairman and form a supportive board while an external CEO runs day to day. This balances continuity, institutional memory, and new strategic direction.

To be considered for a CEO job you should proactively gain board exposure. That means:

• Serve on industry association boards or non profit boards to practice governance.
• Get comfortable with board reporting packages, KP I dashboards, and investor deck creation.
• Demonstrate independent judgment on compensation, risk, and strategic tradeoffs.

How to build a C suite portfolio recruiters trust

A CEO portfolio is not a long resume. It is a concise case file that proves outcomes. Structure it like a board pack.

• One page executive summary with size of business you ran, revenue, EBITDA, agent counts, and major strategic wins.
• Three case studies 1 page each showing problem, approach, results, and metrics. Include one technology rollout, one scale or M A example, and one people or culture win.
• KP I dashboard showing YoY trends for revenue per agent, lead conversion, cost to acquire an agent, and agent NPS.
• References and short mentor notes from board members, investors, or founders you worked with.

Tip: Keep the portfolio under 10 pages for initial outreach and have a 20 page board pack ready for finalists. For modern delivery and presentation, consider patterns from headless CMS design and tokenized content schemas to make your pack modular and reusable.

Interview prep for franchisor CEO roles: mock questions and frameworks

Use the STAR method but extend it with metrics, timeline, and scaling lessons. Below are high value mock questions and how to answer them.

Mock questions

1. Describe a time you turned around a declining region or business line. What were the root causes and results?
2. How would you position our franchise to win the next three years given current market consolidation?
3. Explain a complex technology implementation you led and how you drove agent adoption.
4. Talk about a time you managed a contentious stakeholder group, such as franchisees resistant to change.
5. How do you measure agent success and productivity across diverse markets?
6. Walk me through a recent M A or partnership you led and the integration playbook you used.
7. How would you set KP Is for your first 100 days as CEO?
8. Tell us about a time when you had to make a decision that prioritized long term brand health over short term revenue.

Sample answer framework

For each question use this structure: Context, Objective, Actions with team and timeline, Quantified Results, Lesson learned. Always end with the board level implication.

Example snippet for the 100 day question

• Context: inherited fragmented tech stack and flat NPS across markets.
• 90 day objectives: stabilize agent workflows, launch a pilot CRM, and deliver a 5 point NPS lift in pilot markets.
• Actions: assembled cross functional task force, prioritized integration with top 3 lead sources, created incentive program for pilot agents.
• Results: 12 week pilot produced a 20 percent lead conversion lift and NPS improvement from 42 to 54. Board level implication: we have a replicable playbook with payback under 9 months.

Networking strategies that produce CEO opportunities in 2026

Visibility is essential. In 2026 digital presence and selective in person networks both matter.

• Join franchisor peer groups and speak at two industry events annually. Conference sessions and panels are now hybrid and amplify reach — consider the micro-meeting format to get repeated, high-value exposure.
• Publish short case studies on LinkedIn and industry outlets that include data and lessons learned; package them as small interactive artifacts or micro-sites informed by principles in micro-app design.
• Pursue non executive or advisory board roles at smaller brokerages to gain governance experience.
• Maintain relationships with private equity and strategic investors who fund roll ups and platform plays.

Advanced strategies: the competitive edges hiring committees notice

• Franchise law literacy take a short course in franchise disclosure and territory law to speak credibly on risk and compliance.
• AI enabled decision making lead a proof of concept that uses AI for agent coaching or lead scoring to show future readiness — and pair that with practical hardening guidance such as how to harden desktop AI agents.
• Cross border experience demonstrate ability to scale in multiple markets or manage international affiliates.
• Investor relations get comfortable presenting to boards and investors, and own at least one capital raise or strategic partnership.

12 month action plan to move toward a franchisor CEO role

1. Month 1 2: Build your one page executive summary and three one page case studies.
2. Month 3 4: Get a governance role on an industry or non profit board.
3. Month 5 6: Lead or sponsor a company wide product or tech pilot with clear KP Is. Use developer and onboarding patterns from modern developer onboarding to accelerate rollout.
4. Month 7 8: Present a growth roadmap to senior leaders or investor group to practice board level narrative.
5. Month 9 10: Publish two data driven posts and speak at one industry event.
6. Month 11 12: Begin outreach to executive recruiters and request introductions via board members and investors.

Lessons from the Century 21 New Millennium transition

Three concrete signals for job seekers and internal candidates:

• Planned succession works founders moving to chaired board roles create continuity and are attractive to investors and employees.
• External CEO hires bring fresh scale playbooks executives from national brokerages and proptech firms often cross over to franchisors to drive modernization. See practical examples of market-facing product and platform playbooks in real-world AI benchmarking.
• Board composition matters adding peer CEOs and investor representatives shows governance maturity and can accelerate strategic initiatives.

Quick checklist before you interview for a franchisor CEO role

• Executive summary ready and under one page
• Three measurable case studies uploaded to PDF and shared drive
• KP I dashboard for revenue, margin, agent growth, NPS
• List of 5 board references and one investor reference
• 50 minute narrative ready for the first board level interview

Key takeaways

• CEO roles in franchisors require demonstrable scale experience, board readiness, and modern tech fluency.
• Document outcomes not responsibilities. Numbers and timelines matter more than titles.
• Build governance experience early through advisory roles and investor interactions.
• Use a concise portfolio that mirrors a board pack to accelerate trust with recruiters and founders.

Call to action

If you want a ready template, download our CEO C suite portfolio checklist and 12 month action plan created for real estate leaders in 2026. Or book a 30 minute mock board interview with our senior editors to refine your 90 day strategy and KP I dashboard. Take one action today that makes you the obvious next CEO candidate tomorrow.

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