eXp Realty founder Glenn Sanford has stepped down as chief executive of the group’s Nasdaq-listed parent company, handing the reins to Leo Pareja as the business pursues international expansion and a broader strategy built around franchising and artificial intelligence.
AGNT Inc., formerly eXp World Holdings, has announced that Mr Pareja had been appointed chief executive, effective immediately, succeeding Mr Sanford, who established the company in 2009.
Mr Sanford will remain chairman of the board, where he will continue to help guide the company’s long-term strategy, but has relinquished his executive employment positions.
The appointment represents a significant leadership change for the global real estate group, which operates eXp Realty, NextHome, FrameVR.io and SUCCESS Enterprises.
Mr Pareja has served as chief executive of eXp Realty since April 2024, having joined the business in 2022 and previously held the positions of chief strategy officer and president of affiliated services.
The transition comes four months after eXp World Holdings completed its transformation into AGNT and follows the company’s acquisition of US franchise network NextHome in May.
That acquisition marked the group’s first expansion into franchising, adding a traditional franchise structure alongside eXp Realty’s established cloud-based brokerage model.
In the company’s announcement, Mr Sanford said the time was right to hand over executive leadership.
“Building this company from the ground up and watching our vision for a better, agent-centric model of real estate grow into the global, AI-native, multi-model platform it is today has been the privilege of my career,” Mr Sanford said.
“After nearly two decades leading this company, I believe now is the right time to take the next step in our evolution. Leo has earned this moment.”
Mr Sanford said Mr Pareja had played an important role in the company’s technology strategy and brought valuable experience from his previous work in real estate.
“He’s been instrumental in moving our model into the AI-native era, and I’ve seen firsthand his commitment to our agents, our people, and our shareholders.”
Mr Pareja’s appointment places him in charge of a broader group whose operations span the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and South Africa.
He said his priority would be ensuring agents had access to the technology and business infrastructure needed to compete as artificial intelligence becomes more widely adopted across the industry.
“My focus now is making sure every agent on our platform has the tools, the technology, and the ownership stake to compete and win in an AI-native market. We’re not just adapting to where the industry is headed, we’re building the infrastructure for it. That’s the work ahead, and I’m ready for it,” Mr Pareja said.
Before joining eXp, Mr Pareja co-founded property technology company Remine in 2016, serving as its chief executive and president until its acquisition by MLS Technology Holdings in 2021.
According to AGNT, Remine’s technology platform grew to serve more than one million real estate professionals across North America under his leadership.
Mr Pareja also has a background in residential sales, having built a high-performing real estate team earlier in his career.
During his time at eXp Realty, he has helped develop agent services and technology initiatives, including Revenos and enhancements to eXp Solutions.
He also led the group’s acquisition of NextHome, which established franchising as an additional business model within AGNT.
AGNT board vice-chairman Randall Miles said the leadership transition was the result of a succession process developed over several years.
“This transition is the product of years of deliberate, thoughtful succession planning by our Board, which voted unanimously to appoint Leo as our next Chief Executive Officer,” Mr Miles said.
“He is a results-driven leader with a deep understanding of our business and our agent-centric model.”
The appointment comes as AGNT seeks to build on its international presence while developing technology and services for agents operating under different business structures.
For the group’s Australian operations, the leadership change places the local eXp Realty network within a broader organisation now headed by an executive with experience in both residential brokerage and property technology.
The announcement did not identify any immediate changes to the company’s Australian operations.
Mr Sanford, meanwhile, will continue as chairman and a shareholder of the company he founded 17 years ago, retaining a role in its long-term strategic direction.
The appointment of Mr Pareja was unanimously approved by the AGNT board and took effect on October 8, 2026.