More key figures have quit Countrywide which yesterday confirmed plans to double in size over the next five years.
The latest high-level departures are those of the legendary Peter Young, managing director of John D Wood, and what insiders described as the more significant departure, that of Carl Parker, its national financial services director.
Countrywide also said it is looking for a new managing director for Hamptons International. Last night, a Countrwide spokesperson said this is a new role, combining sales and lettings.
Young’s departure appears to be a straightforward retirement after 38 years.
A statement from Countrywide paid glowing tribute to Young, saying he would remain as consultant when he hands over the operational reins to sales director Nicholas Taylor, who has been with John D Wood & Co for 16 years.
In contrast, there was silence about the departure of Parker, who had been with Countrywide, the UK’s largest mortgage broker, for over 22 years.
Sources said that if he had been let go, it was a big mistake.
While the circumstances are not known, tellingly there is no joint agreed statement such as everyone insisting on how amicable it all was and wishing each other well.
The latest departures follow that of a number of others including Bob Scarff, Countrywide’s estate agency boss, and Nigel Stockton, who headed up its mortgages business.
The costs of Countrywide’s restructure, which would include pay-offs and gardening leave, must now run into many hundreds of thousands.
The restructure follows the appointment of CEO Alison Platt last year.
Platt, from a non-estate agency background, joined from BUPA. She brought in Sam Tyrer as managing director for retail, also from a non-estate agency background and who joined from Dixons Carphone.
The restructure comes under Countrywide’s ‘Building our Future’ strategy, which is merging sales and lettings into a ‘One Countrywide Retail Team’.
Three divisional managing directors have been appointed, it was announced in a statement that verged on the baffling in its use of corporate language.
According to Countrywide: “These roles will be instrumental in bringing together the two businesses to create a seamless customer facing experience.”
The roles are filled by Michael Luck and Jonathan Simpson, respectively for the north and midlands. The name of the divisional managing director for the south has yet to be announced.
Three other new roles have been created – retail commercial director, retail programme director and retail performance director – while 12 retail directors have been appointed.
The new appointees include John Hards and Margaret Longden, previously co-managing directors of Countrywide Lettings.
Hards becomes retail director for the south-west while Longden assumes a more senior role as retail programme director.
The Countrywide statement said: “With the restructure, the intention was to retain our strong industry expertise whilst at the same time providing our internal talent with a platform for growth and the Group is pleased to confirm this has been achieved.”
Platt said: “Today’s appointments mark another step forward for Countrywide as we build for our future.
“We have recognised the importance of ensuring the entire company is working together, and by putting this regional and divisional structure in place, including bringing together responsibility for sales and lettings at a regional and local level for the first time, we believe we will be able to better serve our customers and deliver greater organic growth.
“It is particularly pleasing that we have retained and been able to promote such great Countrywide talent internally and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of our new managing directors and regional directors. I look forward to working with them at this exciting time in Countrywide’s evolution.”
The new retail directors are as follows:
North Division
Retail Director Wales & West – Keith Peacock
Retail Director Scotland & North East – Sharon Donaldson
Retail Director Yorkshire & Lincolnshire – Steve Hinshelwood
Retail Director Manchester & Lancashire – Claire Limon
Midlands Division
Retail Director Midlands West – Toby Philips
Retail Director Midlands Central – Michael Miller
Retail Director Midlands East – Kim Chiles
Retail Director Midlands North – Jack Simpson
South Division
Retail Director South West – John Hards
Retail Director South – Alison Nunez
Retail Director South Central – Iain McKenzie
Retail Director South East – Keith Knight
Interesting.
I am going to guess that, following this restructuring, there will be a culling of high street offices (in some towns they have 4 or 5 offices currently) to provide regional “super offices” which will continue to provide “high street” presence but with less saturation of offices. This will clearly make way for massive overhead savings uk wide which will, in my view, be re invested in advertising and technology for the new look “hybrid” Countrywide. Could work well for them,
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Hi wilko. Nice to see you posting – and having the sense not to get dragged into the usual ‘bun-fights of the day’.
I wish I had your wisdom… but I am weak and cannot resist the pull.
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Good comment Wilko. That may well happen where offices offer similar services. Some are more high end than others and where there is clearly a difference in the type of client they are seeking, these branches will probably continue in the same locations. A branch specialising up to £500k perhaps. Then the high end branch offering £500k plus.
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The start of many redundancies i suspect.
How long until the sales teams and letting teams that currently work independently of each other within the same branch are merged.
Reduced headcount which the corporate love and more work for negs.
If i was a Countrywide employee i would be VERY worried especially as they are looking at launching / purchasing an online offering.
I would urge and decent neg, branch manager etc to make the move away from countrywide sooner rather than later.
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“I would urge any decent neg, branch manager etc to make the move away from countrywide sooner rather than later”……I’m not so sure that’s good advice bearing in mind some of the names on the above lists started off at Countrywide as trainee negs/negs and have worked their way up to regional directors.
I think it’s not a bad idea to move if you don’t buy into what they are planning/doing which clearly those who have departed didn’t agree with the plans. If you tow the line with the corporates there are rewards to be had, that said, it’s not for me (or many others I suspect).
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Fair point Wilko, But you have to put the years in and be very lucky as opposed to be a standout individual.
With all the internal changes, to become a regional managing director, sorry the now Retail Director title you will have to probably wait 5 years until one becomes even available. And then as you have seen with higher appointments they very well may recruit from outside not only the company but the industry.
I have seen too many individuals who were very good at there job toe the line and been treated in an awful way.
Countrywide has some good members of staff but they in my opinion should look elsewhere.
Only once you leave do you see how truly bad it was, even if you were a high achiever and did well.
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“Only once you leave do you see how truly bad it was, even if you were a high achiever and did well”
Agreed, there are many who read this who will have had personal experience of leaving Countrywide and doing very well elsewhere.
Local and national brands have very different ideas of customer service levels in my experience.
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There has been a massive sea change in attitude since Alison Platt joined. Total focus on customer service and employee rewards. Times they are a changing!
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Countrywide is actually massively expanding.
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