Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^® (LeadingRE) has been awarded the 9^th position on Training Magazine’s “Top 125” ranking of companies for employer-sponsored workforce training and development, across all industries. This represented a dramatic increase over last year’s LeadingRE ranking as #64 and was based on the aggregate of the company’s learning programs, including its ground-breaking new MAESTRO™ Leadership Certification program, its 24/7 online Institute learning platform for real estate sales associates, managers and staff, and its robust suite of conferences and workshops in the U.S. and around the world.

Other companies recognized in the top tier of the list include Jiffy Lube International,  Blue Cross Blue Shield, Vistage Worldwide, Tenaris, Best Buy, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, BNSF Railway, ABF Freight, Western Union, ADP, and Genentech. The only other real estate or relocation entities on the list were Keller Williams Realty, Century 21, and Cartus.

“We see ourselves as a learning organization,” comments LeadingRE CEO Pam O’Connor.  “Everything we do has some basis in continuous performance improvement, and this recognition reflects our commitment to raising the bar among our 500 real estate member brokerages and their 120,000 associates, as well as with our corporate team in our Chicago, London, Singapore and field offices around the world.” LeadingRE’s efforts in this area are led by Vice President of Talent Development Barbara Wichman, and the particular focus on the Top 125 competition was managed by Executive Director of Institute Content Cecelia Chott.

The Top 125 program focuses on companies that have demonstrated a strong focus on effective training and development tied to corporate strategic goals and business outcomes. This is the 16^th year in which Training has ranked such companies. Each company was measured on both quantitative and qualitative data by an outside research and statistical data company, under the guidance of the magazine’s management team.

This latest recognition is among many achievements of LeadingRE, which will be celebrated at the network’s annual Conference Week at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach February 20-26.

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CHICAGO – (February 16, 2016) – Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^® has expanded its executive team with the addition of Barbara Wichman as vice president, talent development. In this role, Wichman will oversee learning policies and programs and the talent development strategy for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^® (LeadingRE), the world’s largest community of high-quality, independent real estate companies.

With a focus on fostering a learning environment resulting in high performance, Wichman’s audience extends from the company’s 100+-person staff to its 525 member brokerages around the world. Programs include a full range of learning opportunities, including online education through LeadingRE Institute, which offers over 250 exclusive courses; in-person meetings like the upcoming Conference Week, which has attracted nearly 2,500 attendees from 25 countries; and robust programs like the MAESTRO™ Leadership Certification.

“In recent years, we have expanded our educational offerings considerably, with the goal of providing superior opportunities that lead the industry and compete with world-class programs from other businesses,” said LeadingRE President/CEO Pam O’Connor. “We wanted to build on this momentum, and Barbara’s energy, expertise and focus on results make her the ideal person to lead the effort, working with the excellent team we have in place.”

With more than 20 years of learning and development experience in a cross-section of industries including telecommunications, consumer goods and retail, Barbara brings a deep understanding of global talent management through the building and implementation of integrated talent systems, change acceleration, succession planning and learning and development.

“I am thrilled to join a company as focused on developing its stakeholders as LeadingRE,” Wichman said, “and I look forward to accelerating our efforts to be a world-class learning organization that produces outstanding customer experiences and significant personal and professional growth opportunities for all of our constituents.”

Wichman is based in the company’s Chicago headquarters and can be reached at bwichman@LeadingRE.com or (312) 447-5929.  Learn more about LeadingRE at www.LeadingRE.com.

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