Purplebricks Group PLC (LON:PURP), the hybrid estate agent, today announced that Lee Wainwright has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Purplebricks’ UK operations with immediate effect. Lee has served as Chief Operations Officer since 15 March 2017.
Lee joined Purplebricks following a distinguished 26 year career with Countrywide PLC where he was a highly successful Divisional Managing Director for 12 years with responsibility for the growth and strategic development of a number of their brands and divisions. Lee joined Countrywide as a trainee estate agent direct from school.
As Chief Operations Officer of Purplebricks, Lee has overseen the development of the Company’s operational and customer service teams and systems to support its rapid expansion and next stage of growth. He has played a key role in the recruitment and training of over 300 Local Property Experts, has overseen the launch of our Concierge service and the growth of our Post Sales Support and Conveyancing Sales teams. Lee has been instrumental in strengthening our customer service capabilities and the UK management team, not least with the appointment of Sophie Fox, a 20 year veteran of British Gas, to head up the UK Call Centre operations.
Commenting on the announcement, Michael Bruce, Group Chief Executive, said:
“We are very fortunate to have someone of Lee’s experience and track record in the industry heading up our UK business. He brings with him extensive leadership and industry expertise from his senior roles at Countrywide, and has already demonstrated his value in his time as COO at Purplebricks. Having grown to be one of the leading estate agents in the country in such a short period of time brings with it the need to develop and scale‐up our people and capabilities in customer service, recruitment, training, and build a broader business offering. We are committed to delivering the highest levels of customer service through a resourceful and agile technology platform and our talented pool of employees and management. I believe that Lee is the best person to lead this expansion and to grow the strong culture that exists in our special business.”
