RE/MAX Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff Serene Smith resigned Monday, according to a company filing with federal regulators. She had been with the company since 2006, starting as senior manager of internal audit and progressing up to COO. She will continue with the company in a “non-executive part-time” role as a project manager.
RE/MAX will no longer have a principal operating officer, according to the filing, as Smith’s previous responsibilities in this role will be covered by other executive officers—including a new hire, Rob Fuchs, who the company added as EVP of human resources and administration the same day Smith resigned.
According to the filing, Smith and RE/MAX initially agreed to the transition on May 31, with an effective date of June 3.
Smith was promoted to operational controller in 2009. In 2010, she was promoted to vice president, operational controller. She was promoted to vice president, financial planning and analysis in June 2014. In January 2016, she was promoted to senior vice president, financial planning and business analytics, and took on additional responsibilities. She was named COO in May 2017 and chief of staff in January 2019.
Prior to joining RE/MAX, Smith was the director of internal audit for Dividend Capital Trust, a REIT in Denver. She also served as a manager for Protiviti, a risk-consulting firm, specializing in internal audits. She began her career with Arthur Andersen in Minneapolis as an auditor, and then transferred with the firm to Denver, Colorado, to become a part of their Business Process Risk Consulting practice.
The personnel moves come as RE/MAX faces a tough transition into a new market, navigating a slowing economy and a post-lawsuit real estate industry. The company previously let go of its CEO, Nick Bailey, earlier this year.
