The Phillips auction house announced today that the former Christie’s board member and chief financial officer Stephen Brooks will become its new chief executive on 1 September, replacing Edward Dolman. Dolman will take on the role of executive chairman of Phillips' holding company and work closely with Brooks and with Phillips’ global chairwoman, Cheyenne Westphal.
“I am truly delighted to be joining Phillips as chief executive officer,” Brooks says in a statement. “I have admired the rapid and impressive development over recent years and seen the exceptional results that have been delivered by an outstanding, innovative and talented team. I am honoured and excited to be joining them and look forward to helping Phillips realise the very significant growth potential of the firm in the coming years.”
Brooks held a number of executive-level positions during a tenure of over 11 years at Christie’s, including chief operating officer and deputy chief executive. While there he helped modernise a many of the auction house’s corporate functions, including finance, human resources and marketing, and bolstered the company’s overall digital capability.
“Stephen Brooks is a great innovator and leader. I had the good fortune of hiring and working with Stephen when he joined Christie’s and saw first-hand his unique talents in all his roles and ultimately, as deputy chief executive,” Dolman says. “His appointment is an opportunity for Phillips to further strengthen its global position and continue the successful course of innovation and growth we began seven years ago.”
Westphal says that Brooks “brings such a wealth of strategic and operational experience to the position, further strengthening and reinforcing our leadership team. Stephen is known for his successful record of innovation in the business, and this aligns with Phillips’ own ethos and spirit.”