New joint CEOs replace long-serving Smith at Spicerhaart
Two of the firm's directors are stepping up to become joint CEOs after founder Paul Smith became Chairman.
Two directors will take over the helm as joint CEOs at Spicerhaart after Paul Smith became Executive Chairman.
National Operations Director John Phillips and Group Managing Director Antony Lark will start their new roles with immediate effect.
Smith has become Chairman of the independent agency group, which includes seven brands including Haart and Felicity J Lord.
Huge growth
His era at the Colchester-based company has featured huge growth, taking it from a small operation to a nationwide giant employing over 2,000 staff and some 200 branches. He founded the firm in 1989 with his father Alick when they opened three branches of Spicer McColl in East Anglia.
It is now one of the largest estate agency firms in the UK with a presence via its various brands in most towns and cities and a separate mortgages division established in 1990 called Just Mortgages.
Controversy
But the firm has also been dogged with controversy in recent years, with allegations of discrimination and racism from former employees against other staff.
Phillips is currently responsible for Just Mortgages, which he has grown from 100 brokers to 650 since he joined the company in 2015. He also runs surveyor, Valunation, Spicerhaart Corporate Sales and Spicerhaart Part Exchange.
He will continue to run all of these divisions while Lark will continue to run the estate agency and lettings side of the business.
Prior to joining Spicerhaart and Just Mortgages in 2015, Phillips spent 23 years with Kinleigh Folkard and Hayward.
Lark joined Spicerhaart in 2013 as Just Mortgages’ managing director, having previously been with Countrywide for almost 17 years. He became Spicerhaart’s group managing director in 2019.
Very active
Smith says: “I will continue to play a very active role in strategic, financial and digital decision making, but will also offer extensive support to the wider team, our executive board and our main board in the process.
“Both Antony and John have a proven track record and complementary skills and they are the ideal candidates to lead our company.”
Phillips says: “I feel very honoured that Paul – an industry legend – has entrusted the running of his business to Antony and me, as we too, are great believers in supporting others to come into the industry and helping them fulfil their dreams.”
Lark says: “John and I have always worked closely together and we see this as an amazing opportunity to continue the great work that Paul has done in developing the Spicerhaart family.”
Spicerhaart has seven agency brands – Haart, Chewton Rose, Felicity J Lord, Darlows, Butters John Bee, Haybrook and Howards.
