Independent agent butters john bee has appointed two former directors from Countrywide.

Andy Townsend joins as managing director for lettings and Dominic Green as managing director for sales and auctions.

Townsend was previously lettings director for Countrywide’s north midlands letting brands, including Frank Innes, Spencers, Dixons and Bairstow Eves.

At butters john bee, he becomes responsible for growing the lettings operation both organically and through acquisition. He is already looking into a number of potential acquisitions across the midlands and the north west.

Green worked at Countrywide for more than five years, joining as head of commercial finance before becoming finance director for Countrywide’s core estate agency operation, which made record profits of £28m in 2014. He sat on the estate agency board and was influential in driving operational direction and business strategy in the residential sector.

In his new role, Green will be responsible for growing butters john bee’s estate agency and auctions divisions, which includes 17 branches throughout Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire and the west midlands.

The former head of agency at Countrywide until last year, Bob Scarff, is a non-executive director of butters john bee. Scarff was one of the first in Countrywide’s blood-letting of senior staff.