Inman

Berkshire Hathaway taps former Compass COO as strategic adviser

What decisions and paths should the real estate industry be prioritizing? And how can you, whether managing a team or an entire company, bring those best lessons to bear where you work? In February, in advance of building an industry blueprint at Inman Disconnect, we’ll plumb the topic of leadership with Q&As with top industry leaders, contributions from esteemed Inman columnists and more.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale Properties has tapped an industry veteran to aid its expansion in California and Nevada, the brokerage announced this week.

Brent Thomson has been hired as a strategic adviser for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale Properties as the company looks to expand its presence in the two western states.

“Brent has a proven track record of success and has earned the reputation of being one of the most
effective real estate executives who has always attracted the top sales professionals and best real estate
leadership,” Gretchen Pearson, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale
Properties, said in a statement. “She is known to be a real powerhouse, and her straightforward yet caring style is aligned with how we operate here. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her to our team.”

Thomson most recently worked as the chief operating officer of Compass’s California operations where she helped the company achieve its market share leadership in California. She left Compass 13 months ago to travel and spend more time with her family, she said in a statement, before deciding in January of this year to look for a new opportunity.

Prior to Compass, she was the COO of the San Francisco-based luxury brokerage Pacific Union International, which had a sales volume of $14 billion in 2017, one year before it was acquired by Compass California to establish its market dominance.

Thomson stayed on as COO of the newly merged company before leaving in 2022.

Drysdale Properties currently has 45 offices and over 1,300 agents throughout the Northern California and Lake Tahoe regions. Thomson said she looks forward to working on expanding the brand’s footprint.

“There is no brand more synonymous with success than Berkshire Hathaway,” she said in a statement.
“Their long-term reputation as a profitable and well-run company is without question, and I’m excited to join one of the nation’s largest woman-owned real estate brokerages to help expand their reach even
further throughout Northern California and Nevada.”

Email Ben Verde