Keller Williams Realty welcomes Soteroff

Keller Williams Realty has hired Bill Soteroff to serve as vice president of its global division. Soteroff is one of the preeminent figures in international real estate franchise sales, having previously served as COO of RE/MAX Europe and executive vice president of RE/MAX, LLC, where he achieved record growth, delivered innovative training and helped create a worldwide listing service. "When I started in this business, international real estate franchising was not well developed," Soteroff said. "Our goal was to take a disorganized industry and organize it by knowledge, education and camaraderie. Keller Williams is taking this to the next level." Soteroff joins a team that is expanding rapidly. Keller Williams recently became the largest real estate franchise by agent count in North America. In the past 18 months, the company has announced franchise agreements covering more than a dozen countries, including Austria, Germany, Indonesia, Turkey, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. "We are thrilled to welcome Bill to our growing family," Keller Williams Worldwide President Chris Heller said. "He is one of the most knowledgeable, respected international business leaders and we look forward to tapping his passion for improving people's lives as we share our value proposition throughout the world." The Canadian-born, University of Western Ontario-educated Soteroff has studied history, archeology and negotiations, which informs his interest in people, cultures and business. "One of the challenges of international franchising is striking the balance between where you are from and the communities you serve," Soteroff said. "I never presume I have all the answers. I want to know how I can help individuals and their families and what we can do to benefit one another. Keller Williams is a like-minded company. I'm honored to have this opportunity to share its models, systems and culture to help people build dynamic, sustainable businesses."