NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips announced the expansion of the company’s presence in the Americas by naming Maura Smith as Regional Director in Palm Beach, Florida.

As Regional Director, Ms. Smith will work with Phillips’ specialists across all departmental categories to support the auction house’s business development efforts by cultivating networks of collectors, art dealers, advisors, and institutions. She will work especially closely with the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Department. Before joining Phillips, Ms. Smith worked as the U.S. Business Development Director for Paddle8. Prior to that, she spent nine years at Christie’s, most recently serving as a Regional Director in Palm Beach.

“We are thrilled that Maura is joining Phillips and helping us expand our reach across the Americas, especially in Palm Beach, a strategically important region for the contemporary art market, the collecting focus of which aligns perfectly with Phillips’ own emphasis on 20th Century and Contemporary Art,” said Vivian Pfeiffer, Head of Business Development and Deputy Chairman, Americas. “Her extensive experience in the region will prove invaluable to our growing team and will help us work with collectors more proficiently across all of our company initiatives.”

Phillips is in the midst of a major international expansion. Along with establishing its Hong Kong office, the company added regional directors or specialists in Antwerp, Chicago, Cologne, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Seattle, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo and Zurich in the past two years.