Naples-based brokerage names next CEO

A leadership shift is coming to a Naples-based real estate firm. 

Premier Sotheby’s International Realty CEO Budge Huskey will transition to the company's executive chairman, effective Jan. 1. Huskey has led the firm for 10 years, growing it to about 1,200 advisors in more than 40 offices in Florida and North Carolina. By closed sales volume, the agency is the largest Sotheby’s International Realty affiliate worldwide, according to a statement. As executive chairman, Huskey will focus on strategy, growth opportunities, industry relations and culture, according to a statement. 

Jackie Thiel, president of Premier Sotheby's International Realty for more than two years, will succeed Huskey as president and CEO, leading the agency’s operations from its home office in Naples. 

“There is no one better suited to lead the firm into the future,” Huskey says in the statement. “Jackie has been a true partner in leading this company and has already earned the confidence of our advisors, our managing brokers and our support team. She combines operational discipline with personal connections and a deep respect for the culture that makes Premier Sotheby’s International Realty special.”

Before joining Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Thiel was president of Long & Foster Real Estate. For the past two years, she has overseen Premier Sotheby's International Realty's brokerage operations, managing broker team and advisor development programs as well as its mortgage and title divisions. 

“Our advisors are leaders in the markets we serve, and my focus will be on giving them every advantage: the best marketing, the best technology and the best support in the business,” Thiel says in a statement. “The foundation built under Budge’s leadership is extraordinary, and my commitment is to take it even further.”

During Huskey's tenure as CEO, the firm has expanded its Florida footprint across Naples, Sarasota, Tampa and Orlando. It has also established itself in North Carolina, in Charlotte, Asheville and the North Carolina High Country, while diversifying its service platforms to include rentals, relocation, new development, mortgage, title and insurance, according to a statement.

Huskey will continue to serve as vice chairman of Peerage Realty Partners and Peerage Group Sotheby’s International Realty. Peerage Realty Partners' core services include real estate financing and transaction services with brokerage partners, including Premier Sotheby’s International Realty and other Premier Sotheby's affiliates. Peerage Realty Partners transacted about $30 billion in sales through its partner firms in 2025.