He will take on the position with immediate effect alongside group managing director Antony Lark who has also been made joint CEO.
They will be supported by current CEO Paul Smith who is moving to the role of the company’s executive chairman.
Phillips also runs the surveyor Valunation, Spicerhaart Corporate Sales and Spicerhaart Part Exchange and will continue to do so in his new role.
Lark will continue to run the estate agency and lettings side of the business.
‘A new era of leadership’
Smith said: “This strategic decision marks a new era of leadership and reflects our continuing commitment to growth, innovation and digital transformation. Both Antony and John have a proven track record and complementary skills and they are the ideal candidates to lead our company.”
Phillips joined Just Mortgages in 2015 and oversees 650 employed and self-employed brokers.
In that time, he has launched the self-employed division as well as the new client services division which ensures clients are contacted at least once a year. He also oversaw the creation of the company’s new build business and set up the Just Wealth company.
Before joining Just Mortgages, Phillips was a financial services director at Kinleigh Folkard and Hayward for over 23 years.
Phillips (pictured) said: “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved, transforming our financial services and surveying businesses and ensuring that our teams are fully compliant and process driven. We’re now very focused on growing both our number of employed and self-employed finance specialists and our wealth division.
“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 has been with the company for a decade, having joined as managing director of Just Mortgages before become group managing director of Spicerhaart in 2019.
Before joining the company, he was regional financial services director at Countrywide for 17 years.
Lark added: “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.
“Over the last few years, Paul has spent a lot of time in educating us in the finer details of the business, giving us a very rounded knowledge of all aspects, and he will continue to provide strategic decisions as we move the business forward.
“We have been working on some very exciting plans to grow our partnership model, particularly in lettings where we have very successfully trialled the model of employed staff members based at home.”
Smith continued: “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.
“I believe very strongly in rewarding those who have consistently gone over and above in helping to make Spicerhaart the great success that it is today and we have a dynamic duo in Antony and John, who both have strong backgrounds in financial services and will lead the business to new heights.”
