Senior Leadership Team
Jim Gillespie
President and Chief Executive Officer
Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
Expertise: Residential Real Estate, Luxury Markets
Jim Gillespie was appointed president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC in April 2004 after serving as the company’s chief operating officer for three years. A real estate veteran with over 32 years of experience, Gillespie has been with the Coldwell Banker® brand since 1976. One of his crowning achievements was having the opportunity to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in honor of the Coldwell Banker brand’s 100th anniversary on August 21, 2006.
As president and chief executive officer, Gillespie oversees marketing, operations, education, mortgage and field services. As the public face of Coldwell Banker, Gillespie has become one of real estate industry’s most quoted executives and regularly appears on such prestigious media outlets as CNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, PBS, ABC, CBS and Bloomberg. Under his guidance, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC was named the 2007 Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise by Inman News.
Gillespie’s career has included roles in almost every facet of the real estate industry. Prior to moving to the Coldwell Banker corporate office in 1997 as Vice President, Broker Services, Gillespie served as Regional Director for the Coldwell Banker Southeast regional office. Previously, he had run both the Midwest and Northeast regional offices in the same capacity. Gillespie has held various management and sales positions at Coldwell Banker including operating officer for the Coldwell Banker company-owned offices in Boston, president of the Coldwell Banker company-owned operations in Kansas City and vice president of real estate services for Coldwell Banker Relocation Services.
Gillespie began his career as a sales associate for Gallery of Homes real estate in the western suburbs of Chicago and after only six months was promoted to vice-president and office manager in one of its eight offices. Gillespie then served in various management positions with Thorsen Realtors which was later acquired by Coldwell Banker. In 1981, Coldwell Banker began its franchise program and Gillespie became one of the original ten executives chosen to run the residential affiliates.
Gillespie earned both a Bachelor of Science and master’s degree from the University of Illinois. After three years as a mathematics teacher and four years working as a YMCA director, he obtained his real estate license and entered the business full-time.
