Boomin appoints chair to the strategic board

Sarah Edmundson has been appointed chair of Boomin’s strategic board, which aims to increase the level of ongoing agent engagement and participation in the development and direction of the recently launch property portal.

Sarah Edmundson

Edmundson’s first job is to initiate a process to appoint independent agent partners to the strategic board. The successful candidates will play a key role in assessing the programme of innovation for agents and consumers and influencing the direction of strategic travel.

Kenny Bruce, formerly of PurpleBricks and co-founder of Boomin will be on the strategic board, along with Tom Kirk , chief product officer, the COO, Andrew Stewart, and brand director, James Kydd.

Michael Bruce, CEO and co-founder of Boomin, said: “The Strategic board provides a direct and responsive two-way communications channel between our agent partners and Boomin’s management team, ensuring we are always listening and acting in their best interests and focusing our tech expertise on solving their main challenges.

“Sarah is the ideal candidate to chair the strategic board, having spent the majority of her career working with and supporting the estate agent community. She has shown independence of thought, strong leadership and empathy in her ongoing role as CEO of Agents Together, having supported hundreds of agents with both mental and business health challenges.”

The former CEO of the Co-operative Group, Richard Pennycook, was last week appointed Boomin’s non-executive director of new property portal, making hi the latest high-profile person to add the firm.

Bruce added: “With the recent appointments of Stephen Murphy and Richard Pennycook to the main board and Sarah to the strategic board it is clear that we continue to attract talent of the highest quality as we push forward with our plans to reinvent the property portal landscape and reset the balance of power in the industry for the benefit of agents.”

Richard Pennycook

“In the last year I have had the privilege of working closely with agents across the whole of the UK, building relationships and supporting them in my role as CEO of Agents Together. During this short time our committed volunteers have already supported over 300 agents and provided in excess of 7,250 hours of free help and mentoring.

“The work we have done and what we have achieved so far is remarkable and I am incredibly grateful to be able to continue on that journey in addition to this new role.

“The strategic board will consist of a number of great agents and some of the most talented people in their fields from Boomin. We have a broad and open remit that enables us to be relentless in the pursuit of innovation, agents interests and the advancement of the experience for everyone.”

Edmundson commented: “I have worked with and supported agents for the past six years. This new role provides me with the opportunity to work even more closely with the agent community, to give them a voice, and to ensure they help to shape the future of Boomin.

“In the last year I have had the privilege of working closely with agents across the whole of the UK, building relationships and supporting them in my role as CEO of Agents Together. During this short time our committed volunteers have already supported over 300 agents and provided in excess of 7,250 hours of free help and mentoring.

“The work we have done and what we have achieved so far is remarkable and I am incredibly grateful to be able to continue on that journey in addition to this new role.

“The strategic board will consist of a number of great agents and some of the most talented people in their fields from Boomin. We have a broad and open remit that enables us to be relentless in the pursuit of innovation, agents interests and the advancement of the experience for everyone.”

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20 Comments

  1. Hillofwad71

    Let battle commence .The team is  being fattened up  becoming more investor and agent friendly .You have to hand it to the Bruces  pulling  out all the stops  to  undertake  a sea change  from agents nemesis to their new bestie .
     
      With   Purplebricks   languishing with shrinking inventory shrunk to 8488 ,lettings just 225  and  a share  price in freefall  it looks despite  the punctured  ship  they left behind  it does seem that   they are confident of getting investor support.
     
      I wonder if they have them lined for Boomin  and waiting to pick off the rest of the undecided indies  first. They couldn’t do that ,could they  ?
     
      Good to see Sporting being able to fit himself in on the board  .
    Disappointing weekend as his  football club Larne lost  out narrowly in the  final of the aptly named  Sadler’s Peaky Blinder Irish Cup. Its a  range of alcoholic drinks  and the brand’s colour for the cup  was  purple!
     
    The name reminding Ken of his times at Brummie based Bricks & Burchell Edwards  .
     
    Maybe  time for a name change of his horse  Purple Power which came in 8th at Yarmouth last week. as he has reinvented himself .
    Giddyup  

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  2. JonnyBanana43

    Can’t believe many agents will fall for this rubbish.

    Although surprisingly in my local area, Hudson Moody seem to have fallen for this… Seems bizarre as they have one of the best local independent agents… Would love to know the thinking behind this.?

    is it just that some agents are petrified of not doing something there competitors might be doing ?

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  3. jeremy1960

    Anyone had a boomin lead yet?

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  4. smile please

    Early signs to me is this is a dead duck.

    Only agents that have signed up are the ones suffering with FOMO

    They will also be the ones taken in like OTM supporters when they float. Handful of worthless shares for a long tie in period.

    I see they also recruited Richard (his surname escapes me, agency trainer) he sent out a cringe worthy video email endorsing the shambles that is Boomin.

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    1. smile please

      Richard Rawlings! – That’s his name.

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  5. haveathink

    The Bruce brothers stumbled into capital raising with Purplebricks which to me was right product, right time.

    They are looking to repeat the trick, this agents together lark cynically it would appear was geared to create better PR to lead into Boomin (if they spend a million on it better than spending on advertising) – clearly one wonders how much they spending on it given they have volunteers from within the industry giving their time for free….

    Now the CEO of that ‘charity’ – seemingly has enough time for another important role within the Bruce empire.

    Already Foxtons have put in a considerable amount to Boomin and become a large shareholder – the thought process of some corporates (why they don’t just start their own portal) baffles me.

     

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    1. Bryan Mansell

      As a mentor on this ‘Agents Together’ lark as you call it, I can tell you it is far from that. Helping hundreds of agents who need help is brilliant and rewarding, by the way everybody gives their time for free. Have a word with yourself.

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      1. Hillofwad71

        Yes ,well done to you .You must be disappointed then as somebody who gives up  their time willingly that the Bruces have now chosen to move the CEO into Boomin  after such a short period of time .leaving less time on important  work.   
         
        A bit of a kick in the teeth  to those like yourself  who have been encouraged to work  pro bono    This only serves to  those more cynical to question the whole motives of the Bruces and AT.  
           AT should actually be reaching  out to help proactively as many agents probably don’t know it exists and others not in a good place to ask for help.
         
            I refer specifcially to the lost  franchisees at Ewemove  who  are no longer agents Nobody in the industry  seems to want to help them.
         
          That in no way is disrespecting  your valuable contribution    

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      2. smile please

        Come on Bryan, Some people are in AT for the right reason but most are in for it for boosting their personal profile.

        Only reasons the Bruces came up with the idea was positive PR for agents with the launch of Boomin.

        In my opinion when Bruces were at PB they did more harm to agents well being mentally then any other agent.

        Some agents will fool for it, same way a number have been taken in by OTM. Many of us see it for what it is.

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        1. Bryan Mansell

          I know this, my eyes are open but it doesn’t in any way make it acceptable for the charity and those associated with it to be referred to as a ‘lark’

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      3. haveathink

        So you are effectively working for the Bruce brothers for free as they create PR for Boomin?

        Why don’t you give your valuable time to a charity or some other needy cause – there’s a lot more deserving causes out there.

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  6. Ostrich17

    As they failed to register Boomin’ as a Ltd company (someone else took it from under their noses) and PD Innovations doesn’t quite have a ring to it, there may be a reason to closely embrace Agents Together Ltd and drop the pretence of it being an arms length charity.

    I.E.  Boomin’ to remain as the trading name with AT as the company that is floated some time in the next 12 months.

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  7. Truthspeaks

    From what I can see from their website,  it’s no different to Rightmove or Zoopla etc.  In fact it’s fairly poor from my respect

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  8. Dick Value

    Where’s the App? They launched April 2nd.

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  9. Steven Herd

    Sarah is an outstanding agent, trainer and mentor and is one of the brightest stars in our industry. Well done Sarah!

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  10. Woodentop

    More PR for a failing web portal. Trumpism comes to mind, shout loud and long enough and hope people will believe but ……. as smile please commented

     

    In my opinion when Bruces were at PB they did more harm to agents well being mentally then any other agent.

     

    You all have been warned what the future may hold for you. Who is in control of your business’s and future, you?

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  11. Gangsta Agent

    I have had 2 leads or should i say viewing requests, neither responded and therefore therefore no viewings have been made, bit c r a p really

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  12. Barnabus

    I’d just like to echo one of the questions above – ‘has anyone actually received leads from it?’ Strip away the big daily announcements and it’s supposed to be a game changing property portal…if the only people that talk about it are their deluded staff and us on here, rather than actual buyers or sellers, then it fails, fast.

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    1. JamesDB

      We have had very little interest through it, one… maybe two “leads” if that is what you want to call them… both on rental properties, both already let but of course advertised on Boomin as they obviously just shoved everything on they could to make them look bigger as hardly any agents have taken them up down our way.

       

      It has all been rather… underwhelming. Though I am sure the brothers can spin this another way and talk about how great it all is.

       

       

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  13. HIT MAN

    Making a rod for your own back, fools who lend their stock to Booming to build their little empire, ask yourself would you allow a new competitor in your town to list your properties for free?

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