Spicerhaart, the independent estate agency and financial services group, has announced that two of its directors will take over the helm as joint CEOs.

National operations director John Phillips and group managing director Antony Lark will start their new roles with immediate effect.  They will be supported in their new roles by owner and current CEO Paul Smith, who is moving into a new position as the company’s executive chairman.

Smith set up the company with his father Alick in 1989 and the property services businesses now has a £140m turnover.

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.

Phillips (pictured) comments: ““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.”