Proptech veteran Mike Ryan joins PLACE as EVP of business development. Plus, Nick Janovsky will oversee luxury sales for SERHANT along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Editor’s note: As an industry with millions of agents and over 100,000 brokerage companies, new leaders rise to the top every day. Here we highlight executives and other notable leaders who’ve recently taken on, or stepped away from, roles that influence the residential real estate landscape.
PLACE adds business development exec
PLACE, a “partnership-driven platform” for real estate professionals and homeowners, has appointed Mike Ryan to serve as its executive vice president of business development. Ryan, who brings over a decade of leadership experience, announced his “exciting new chapter” this week in a post on LinkedIn.
Ryan most recently worked as the chief partnership officer for Lower’s real estate division and previously spent nearly 10 years at OJO, where he climbed the ranks from director of business development to chief partnership officer.
The move to PLACE, Ryan explained, is “about joining something I believe has the potential to redefine what’s possible.”
“PLACE has quietly built one of the most impressive platforms in residential real estate, combining technology, services, and operational expertise to help the industry’s top professionals build more valuable businesses while delivering a better experience for consumers,” he wrote. “The vision is bold, but what convinced me was the team’s ability to execute.”
In his EVP role, Ryan said he will focus on the real estate services and tech platform’s strategic partnerships and on the distribution of its tech and services. “I’m excited to work with organizations that share our belief that the future of real estate belongs to those who create more value — for agents, consumers, and the broader industry,” he added.
Ryan’s appointment follows other leadership changes the company has made in 2026. Shortly after the year began, PLACE brought Chris Heller into its C-suite as its first chief revenue officer. Five months later, the company again updated its C-suite by tapping Emily Pacquette to fill its chief strategy officer role.
Record-setting agent to lead luxury sales at SERHANT
SERHANT has expanded its leadership team in the Tampa Bay region with the appointment of Nick Janovsky as director of luxury sales for Tampa, St. Petersburg and the Gulf Beaches. Janovsky joins the company from Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, where he led the Nick Janovsky Group.
With more than $250 million in career sales, Janovsky set seven luxury sales records in the Tampa Bay market and once closed the highest-priced residential sale in St. Pete Beach and Pass-a-Grille history, according to a news release. He specializes in luxury waterfront properties, architecturally significant homes, new development, investment properties and executive relocations.
“I’ve spent more than a decade becoming one of Tampa Bay’s top luxury real estate advisors, and real estate has changed. The future belongs to advisors who can combine relationships, strategy, media, technology, and storytelling at the highest level,” Janovsky said.
SERHANT possesses an “ability to pair deep local expertise with a national audience, world-class marketing, industry-leading content, and a platform that creates opportunities for clients on a much larger scale,” he added.
Editor’s note: AI was used in the initial drafting of this content, which was then thoroughly reviewed, fact-checked and revised by a Real Estate News editor.