Philip White Becomes Executive Chairman at Sotheby’s International Realty, Mark McLaughlin Appointed as President and CEO

Sotheby’s International Realty (SIR) announced on Oct. 22 that Mark McLaughlin has been appointed the brand’s president and CEO, effective Nov. 1.

Philip White, who has led the company through two decades, will become executive chairman, with a focus on the brand’s continued expansion.

White, who first joined the company in 1980, took his first executive position as COO for SIR in 2004. Since that time, the brand has grown from $4 billion in annual sales to $182 billion in 2025, with a network spanning 86 countries and territories, according to a release.

White served the brand in several regions throughout the country as a broker, brokerage manager and affiliate owner before assuming his executive leadership positions. In his next chapter, he is leveraging this wide-ranging and decorated career as executive chairman, dedicated to growing the brand’s global footprint and building on its partnership with Sotheby’s.

He will transition his current role to McLaughlin, who brings more than three decades of experience building, operating and advising real estate brokerages. As CEO of Pacific Union International from 2009 to 2018, he led 12 mergers and acquisitions, growing the company to become the fifth-largest real estate brokerage in the U.S. by sales volume, with $14.1 billion in sales, before it was acquired in August 2018.

On the transition White said, “Reaching this milestone has given me the opportunity to reflect not just on everything this network has built together over 50 years, but what it can build looking fifty years forward. It’s hard to think of someone better equipped to lead this next era than Mark McLaughlin, one of the most respected and accomplished entrepreneurs in luxury real estate.”

McLaughlin added: “I am both humbled and inspired to lead a brand that is truly singular in our industry, and that stands at the pinnacle of luxury It is an honor to follow in Philip’s footsteps, who built this brand into a category leader. I’m eager to listen and learn from this incredible network as we shape the next chapter for Sotheby’s International Realty.”

The company said the transition reflects a shared vision between White and McLaughlin for SIR’s next chapter: Preserving the culture and standards that have defined the brand for 50 years while creating new opportunities for growth across its global network.