Lee Wainwright has been appointed chief executive officer of hybrid estate agent Purplebricks UK, moving from chief operations officer, a post he has held since March 2017.
He joined Purplebricks after 26 years with Countrywide PLC where he was 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 Wainwright oversaw 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 at Purplebricks as well as overseeing the launch of the concierge service and the growth of post-sales support and conveyancing sales teams.
‘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 chief operations officer at Purplebricks,’ said Michael Bruce, group chief executive.
‘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,’ he added.
‘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,’ he concluded.
