Lee Named President Of Pru Relo

Lee takes over the reins of Prudential Financial's relocation arm during a period of change for the industry at large, says Van der Wall. In fact, he adds, it's in the midst of recent years of supply and demand imbalance. The relocation division and Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc. are sub-businesses of Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services.

"We also have our own challenges internally," Van der Wall says. "We needed someone who can sort out the turmoil that is in the relocation industry to help us remain competitive."

Lee's promotion also is part of a corporate-wide restructuring effort to consolidate account management and service delivery. Van der Wall, CEO of parent Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services, tells GlobeSt.com that Lee was his primary choice for the position although he did look at other viable candidates internally and throughout the industry. But when push came to shove, he says, Lee has the gifts to set a mission vision for the organization, get the employees behind that vision, set a strategic decision, then drive Prudential Relocation Services' worldwide employees towards those results.

Van der Wall says the new president will be responsible for reaching specific financial goals, which he can't yet discuss due to confidentiality issues. "His charge is also to unite our staff and company," he adds. "We're currently the world's second largest relocation and we want to maintain that position and increase our market share."

A 30-year real estate veteran, Lee came on board as president of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates in Irvine, CA in 2000. He grew the real estate franchise network to close to 2,000 offices and more than 640,000 sales professionals and boosted Prudential Real Estate Affiliates' brand awareness.

Also, Laurie Keenan, who has been with the company for 15 years, was named president of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates. She previously was executive vice president and COO for the operation.