Leo Pareja Takes Over as AGNT CEO as Founder Glenn Sanford Remains Chairman

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Glenn Sanford has stepped down as chief executive of AGNT, the publicly traded parent of eXp Realty, handing the job to Leo Pareja while retaining the chairmanship of the company he founded in 2009.

The leadership change announced Thursday takes effect immediately. Pareja has been CEO of eXp Realty since April 2024; he now assumes the top executive role across AGNT, whose businesses also include NextHome, FrameVR.io and SUCCESS Enterprises.

It is a significant transfer of authority at a company long identified with Sanford’s leadership and its cloud-based brokerage model. Sanford is not leaving AGNT. He will continue to lead its board and help shape long-term strategy, according to the company’s announcement.

AGNT Vice Chairman Randall Miles said the board voted unanimously to appoint Pareja following what he described as years of succession planning. The company did not announce a new chief executive for the eXp Realty subsidiary or explain whether Pareja will hold both roles indefinitely.

From brokerage chief to group CEO

Pareja joined the company in 2022 and held roles including chief strategy officer and president of affiliated services before taking charge of eXp Realty in 2024. Earlier, he co-founded real estate technology company Remine in 2016 and led it until its acquisition by MLS Technology Holdings in 2021.

He now inherits a broader corporate portfolio than the brokerage alone. AGNT’s acquisition of NextHome in May added a franchise business alongside eXp’s agent-centric brokerage network. The parent also operates virtual collaboration and media businesses.

“After nearly two decades leading this company, I believe now is the right time to take the next step in our evolution,” Sanford said in the announcement. He credited Pareja with helping develop the company’s technology strategy and said he had confidence in his successor.

Pareja said his focus would be on giving agents the tools, technology and ownership opportunities to compete. Those are management objectives, not measured outcomes of the succession. AGNT did not release new financial forecasts, staffing targets or restructuring plans with the announcement.

The board’s decision follows a series of changes in the company’s operating model. eXp has been broadening services for agents and building businesses around transactions beyond the brokerage commission. Earlier Thursday, eXp Realty and Newrez unveiled Revenos Mortgage, a joint venture scheduled to launch in early 2027. The initiative would connect eXp’s agents with Newrez’s origination and servicing capabilities, although its ownership economics were not disclosed.

What changes for agents and investors

For eXp agents, the immediate change is at the holding-company level. The announcement does not describe alterations to commission structures, agent equity programs, brokerage affiliation agreements or local operations. Those matters will be important in assessing whether the leadership change affects the economics of working at eXp.

For investors, the transition puts an executive with direct experience leading the brokerage in charge of a diversified parent. The board is retaining the founder as chairman, a structure that can provide continuity but also leaves the precise division between board oversight and management execution to be tested over time.

The company now trades as AGNT, having previously been known as eXp World Holdings. The rebranding reflects its expansion beyond a single brokerage model. WRE reported Pareja’s appointment to lead eXp Realty in April 2024; Thursday’s decision elevates him from that subsidiary to the entire corporate group.

The announcement did not identify a departure date for Sanford from the board, and it did not name a successor to the eXp Realty subsidiary CEO position. Those are the principal unanswered governance questions following the transition.