Amid another executive shakeup in the industry, auction veteran Ed Dolman is stepping down as Phillips' CEO after a decade at the house. He will remain in his other position of Executive Chairman through May 2025 to assist with the transition. Filling his shoes is the art lawyer Martin Wilson, Phillips' Chief Legal Officer. 

The leadership shuffle comes less than a year following the resignation of former CEO Stephen Brooks, who departed in January 2024 for personal reasons after two years on the job. Amanda Lo Iacono, appointed Deputy CEO at the time, will also leave the position to pursue outside opportunities. 

Note: Ed Dolman was Phillips' CEO and Executive Chairman from 2014 to 2021. In September 2021, Stephen Brooks stepped up as CEO; after he left in January 2024, Dolman returned to the position. 

Ed Dolman is somewhat of a legend in the auction world, having joined Christie's as a furniture porter at age 24 and worked his way up to become CEO in 1999 at 39, a position he held for 11 years.

At the time of his appointment, Dolman notably guided the auction house through a challenging period, particularly during the settlement and aftermath of a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust investigation. Rebuilding the company's reputation, he directed Christie's new business development and strategy, enhanced global operations, and implemented innovative initiatives, including the rapid expansion in China and the Middle East, and the introduction of live online bidding. 

During his tenure, he also orchestrated some of the most important auctions of recent times, including the Gaffe Collection on behalf of UNICEF in 2001, the sale of five works by Gustav Klimt restituted to Maria Altman and her family by the Austrian State in 2006, and the groundbreaking Yves Saint Laurent sale in 2009. 

Helping lead Christie's to record revenue, Dolman left as Chairman of the Board of Christie's International in 2011 to serve as Director of the office of Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chairperson of the Qatar Museums Authority and sister of Qatar's ruling Emir Tamim bin Hamad. In 2012, he was appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar Museums.

In 2014, Dolman found his way back to the auction industry, joining Phillips as CEO and Executive Chairman. With his credibility, he assembled a team of elite specialists from the auction-house duopoly, Sotheby's and Christie's. His strategic vision led to a global network encompassing regional offices and representatives across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, significantly elevating Phillips' offerings. Under his tenure, Phillips witnessed a remarkable growth in global sales, soaring from US$398 million in 2014 to US$1 billion last year. 

Notably, in the first half of 2024, Phillips outperformed the market, securing the most expensive lots in New York, Hong Kong, and Geneva. These include two fresh-to-market Basquiat masterpieces from the collection of the late Italian anthropologist Francesco Pellizzi – Untitled (ELMAR), which sold for US$46.5 million in New York, and Native Carrying Some Guns, Bibles, Amorites on Safari, which sold for HK$99 million (US$12.6 million) in Hong Kong – and a 6.21-carat fancy vivid pink diamond that fetched CHF 10.9 million (US$12 million) in Geneva. 

One of the first to recognize the business potential of Asia, Dolman spearheaded Phillips' broader and deeper expansion into the region, with the opening of a salesroom in Hong Kong that solidified Phillips as a major competitor in the city. In addition to establishing regular sales and additional offices, he oversaw the unveiling of Phillips' new Asia headquarters in Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District – ahead of any other Western auction house. 

His other achievements at Phillips include the formation of the Modern & Contemporary Art department, combining Modern, Post-War, Contemporary, American, and Latin American art in sales aligned to the taste of a new community of global collectors; the launch of a market-leading watch department; and the creation of a Private Sales team.

He also helped the auction house weather numerous storms, including worsening debt issues and risks of a boycott due to its Russian owners and their ties to the Russo-Ukrainian War. 

"After a decade at Phillips, it is time for me to turn to new pursuits and to explore new ways of engaging in the world of art," Dolman said in a statement. "In these 10 years, I had the privilege of working with a world-class team to grow Phillips’s impact and reach with extraordinary record-breaking sales in new locations worldwide."

Phillips' new CEO, the art lawyer Martin Wilson, has been on the auction house's executive board as Chief Legal Officer since 2019, overseeing the company's global legal and compliance functions while playing an active role in top client business development and deal-making activities. 

He joined Phillips following a 20-year career at Christie's, where he last served as global managing director and general counsel to the President's office. Before this, he was co-head of the legal and compliance department, leading Christie's global teams of art lawyers. 

Most recently, he was appointed chairman of the British Art Market Federation (Bamf) but whether he will remain in this position remains unknown. 

In a statement, Wilson says: "Edward Dolman's extraordinary career has left an enduring legacy in the auction world. Having worked together across different organisations over the past 16 years, I have seen first-hand how universally respected and admired Mr. Dolman is, both for his ability to build business and for the inspiration he provides to colleagues at every level of the organisation. It has been a privilege to collaborate with him throughout my career, and I look forward to shaping the next chapter of Phillips together."