A very senior figure is quitting the executive management team of Countrywide amid what the business is calling “organisational change”.
Countrywide is consolidating its London brands and bringing its London and Retail businesses closer together.
Graham Bell, managing director for London, was appointed to his role in June last year after leading the Building Our Future strategy programme.
He had been finance director across estate agency, financial services and London & Premier.
As managing director for London, he led the London Leadership Team with responsibility for developing the group’s target growth areas.
In his role, he looked after the London Business Unit, consisting of over 3,000 people across 250 branches.
He joined Countrywide in 2010 from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Group CEO Alison Platt said this morning: “In 2016 and beyond our focus is on growth and building a bigger, better company through delivering for our customers. We are keen to play to our strengths and accelerate our business even further in areas that are already making great progress.
“The headway in creating one London focus, taking significant market share from competitors and starting the consolidation of our London brands puts us in a position to accelerate our growth agenda across our London and Retail businesses.
“After a strong year and despite hugely challenging market conditions, we are now in a position to deliver a key element of our growth agenda by bringing our London and Retail business units closer together and make an organisational change.
“The benefits of bringing our talent and capability together will see our most powerful brands grow, our digital agenda accelerated across sales and lettings, and creates an opportunity to build on our market leading position in our mortgage business.
“It’s increasingly clear that delivering for our customers means we must look beyond traditional geographic boundaries and ensure we are first choice and easily accessible wherever they are.
“Coinciding with this organisational change is Graham Bell’s decision to leave Countrywide to pursue an exciting new opportunity.
“During his time at Countrywide, Graham has achieved some phenomenal results and played an instrumental role in Countrywide’s growth plans, including the acquisitions of Hamptons International, Blundells, Mortgage Intelligence and Lambert Smith Hampton.
“Graham leaves the business in great shape – currently number one in market share across all segments and showing significant momentum. I personally want to take this opportunity to thank Graham for his enormous contribution to the business and wish him all the very best for the future.”
Comments (12)
Graham was tipped to take over from Alison Platt (which surely can’t be long!) and was Countrywide through and through.
Therefore, the role Graham is going to has to be either a very senior role within (or out) of the industry or a new start business.
If his new role remains in the industry then that will tell us far more than his actual leaving Countrywide!
It is surely inevitable that if you lose all your property experienced senior people and replace them with a team from carphone warehouse, HSBC, Lloyds, etc you are going to find navigating challenging times more challenging.
I’m sure there will be further “exciting new challenge” leavers before the year is out and at some point the share holders will start bringing out the knifes!
During his time at Countrywide, Graham has achieved some phenomenal results and played an instrumental role in Countrywide’s growth plans, including the acquisitions of Hamptons International, Blundells, Mortgage Intelligence and Lambert Smith Hampton.
I think I could have spent millions buying lots of letting businesses, for them (CW) to lose all the clients which they took over and for the companies they acquired to basically cash out (in a big way) during an interesting time for the lettings industry whilst waiting to launch again the moment the contract allows them to in a more streamlined up to date way.
CW are learning that it is all very well acquiring these independents but the reason the businesses seemed so good and were a success was an owner was typically steering the ship from the front every day…… anyway, give me £100m and if spending it is classed as a phenomenal job, then I will be whatever is better than phenomenal 😉
Out with the corporates and power to the independent agents
Heard a few whispers as well, I wouldn’t be too surprised.
Need to start blagging share holders and start bringing in some results me thinks. Who sells assets to pay of debt.?? You use earnings to pay off debt and hold assets. Zoopla got more chance of growth then countrywide at moment.
Looks like the corporates are dying out. It s now the sole traders vs the internet con artists.
Good luck guys, HOLD!!!!!
i meant stop blagging share holders
Was only last year, they floated on the stock exchange – and a HUGE sum of money was set aside for a monster change to the business.
Graham Bell is a top bloke, met him in my time there.
Countrywide are royally up the creek without a paddle.
Whoever writes their “spin” should be working for one of the major political parties.
Fair play to him……. Leaving a sinking ship isn’t a bad strategy !!
Goodness me. Who would have thought that one organisation could have so many senior people within it who all want to “pursue an exciting new opportunity.”
Would the last senior management person leaving the building please turn out the lights…
Getting a bit embarrassing now…