Anywhere names tech leader Rudy Wolfs as chief technology officer

Anywhere Real Estate Inc., based in Madison, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Rudy Wolfs as its chief technology officer, effective Feb. 22.

The company also announced the decision by Melissa McSherry to step down as chief operating officer, effective Feb. 26, and serve as a strategic adviser to Anywhere until April 1.

An avid technology innovator, Wolfs founded a business systems software company right out of school, and, over his career, he has launched, invested in and advised numerous startups.

Wolfs brings deep technology expertise in data, engineering and product and systems development, serving in senior roles at highly complex financial services firms as well as founding and leading multiple startup companies to acquisition. In his new role leading the company’s product and technology strategy, Wolfs will report to Anywhere CEO and President Ryan Schneider and serve on the company’s Executive Committee.

“Anywhere is leveraging its unmatched scale, deep data access and unique advantages to make the transaction experience easier for real estate entrepreneurs and small business owners, which, given my background, is an especially exciting opportunity,” Wolfs said. “The Anywhere product and technology team has made great progress, and I look forward to partnering with them, in collaboration with Anywhere business and brokerage leaders, to accelerate our digital transformation and deliver the future of real estate.”

“Rudy is an incredibly experienced technology leader who brings innovation and entrepreneurship to his work, whether he’s launching a new digital company or helping large-scale organizations drive digital transformation,” Schneider said. “He has a very successful track record of growing and attracting great technology talent, reimagining complex systems and moving with speed to deliver strategic results. I am excited to work with Rudy as Anywhere continues to simplify the real estate transaction and drive growth.”

Wolfs most recently led a digital startup company. Previously, he spent nearly a decade at Capital One, serving in senior transformational technology roles, including as chief information officer for credit cards and small business. In 2000, Wolfs joined ING Direct USA, where he spent more than 12 years in technology and marketing leadership positions as the company scaled from startup to supporting 8 million customers. In his last role with ING, he served as the chief marketing officer and CIO.