Douglas Elliman Undertakes Organizational Restructuring Lays Off Senior Staff

Douglas Elliman implemented an organizational restructuring last week, which included laying off four senior employees and moving another to a special advisor role, according to The Real Deal.

Affected Employees

The layoffs included Sara Kallus-Svoboda, Senior Vice President, and Michael Steigman, Senior Director of the firm’s development marketing division. Jeffrey Stanton, who led agent training and development, and Christine Haney, overseeing relocations and referrals, were also let go.

Meanwhile, Leslie Wilson, Senior Executive Vice President and Managing Director at Douglas Elliman Development Marketing (DEDM), will transition to a special advisor role within DEDM.

Reason for Changes

A spokesperson for Douglas Elliman described the strategic changes as aimed at enhancing operational efficiency. Sources indicated that some employees reporting to these senior-level staff were also affected, though the company declined to confirm numbers.

Previous Changes and Promotions

These moves follow a series of recent management adjustments. Earlier this month, Stephanie Garbarini, Chief Marketing Officer, left after six years and was replaced by Natalie Passerini, former Vice President of Marketing.

Other internal promotions include elevating Wendy Purvey to Chief Strategy Officer in November and appointing Chris Reyes as Chief Technology Officer, filling a long-vacant position.

CEO Liebowitz, who succeeded Howard Lorber last year, has emphasized that his tenure represents a new generation of leadership, distinct from the past.

Previous Structural Moves

In October, the company sold its property management arm for $85 million, part of its transition to a pure-play brokerage to boost brand recognition and generate revenue tied to the brand.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

Douglas Elliman’s recent organizational restructuring exemplifies a Contemporary corporate real estate model where operational efficiency and brand-focused strategy shape the firm’s functional and spatial expression within the brokerage and development marketing sectors. By streamlining senior management and redefining advisory roles, the firm seeks to enhance decision-making agility and strategic alignment, reflecting an indirect impact on the broader urban development market it serves. However, questions of functional resilience arise as knowledge continuity, leadership experience, and internal mentorship are redistributed, potentially affecting project execution and client engagement. Ultimately, these structural adjustments reveal an architectural ambition of organizational design, where corporate form and hierarchy are recalibrated to reinforce market positioning, operational clarity, and sustainable growth within the competitive real estate sector.