Countrywide brand Hamptons International has a new managing director.

She is Lesley Cairns, formerly head of lettings at Hamptons.

Cairns has already announced plans to expand Hamptons beyond London and the south-east.

In the restructure at Hamptons, Jon Pitt has been appointed head of lettings to succeed Cairns; Mary Beeton has been appointed head of sales in London; and Peter Everett has become head of prime and country house sales. Joanna Cocking will head up Hamptons’ prime and country house division.

In her new role, Cairns will report to Countrywide’s London managing director Jonathan Simpson.

Cairns, who has been at Hamptons since 2006, has been promoted almost exactly a year to the day since the previous managing director took up his post.

Nick Hughes, who joined from outside the industry and who reported to then London managing director Graham Bell, left after a matter of months.

Bell himself has also since left, with Simpson taking up the role last December.

The London business of Countrywide has undergone significant changes and management re-shuffles with branches closed and rebranded, as part of Countrywide’s Building our Future strategy.