Zillow Group, Inc. yesterday announced longtime executive and Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Wacksman has been promoted to chief executive officer and appointed to the Company's Board of Directors.
Wacksman succeeds co-founder Rich Barton, who remains on the Zillow Group Board of Directors and becomes co-executive chair alongside Zillow co-founder and current Executive Chair Lloyd Frink.
Wacksman joined Zillow from Microsoft in 2009 and has served in several positions throughout his 15 years at Zillow, including as a product leader, chief marketing officer (CMO), and for the past three years, chief operating officer (COO).
"Zillow's business is firing on all cylinders and performing well through a challenging real estate macro. We've built and integrated products, completed strategic acquisitions, enhanced our agent partner network, and leaned in hard on our Mortgages and Rentals businesses," Barton said. "This is due in no small part to the leadership of Jeremy Wacksman, with the past three years being a time of particularly impressive innovation for the company. Lloyd and I could not be more confident in Jeremy as CEO, in the caliber of the broader team, and in Zillow's bright future."
During his leadership tenure at Zillow, Wacksman helped pioneer mobile real estate shopping. As CMO, Wacksman shepherded the product and consumer marketing strategy that helped Zillow grow into its current household brand, with 231 million average monthly unique users and the word "Zillow" searched more than the term "real estate."
"With the strength of Zillow's brand, our highly engaged audience, and a steadily growing business portfolio, we are in a great position to capture meaningful transaction share for years to come," Wacksman said. "The work we're doing to bring the integrated transaction to life through exceptional tech solutions for consumers and agents will transform residential real estate. I love this company and its mission, and I am honored to lead our extraordinary team into the next phase of Zillow's growth."
Barton and Frink have led the Board of Directors and held Board positions, including the chairmanship since they founded Zillow in 2004, and will continue to be active in the company to support Wacksman and the leadership team.
