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Location

Bedfordshire | United Kingdom

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Job description

Milton Keynes/ Leighton Buzzard HQ
Package worth £200K+
Group General Counsel and Company Secretary

The Company

Connells Group is the UK's largest and most successful estate agency network and property services provider with 10% market share. They are also the largest agency for new home sales and the most profitable estate agency in the UK.

They hold market leading positions in commercial property consultancy, conveyancing and as residential auctioneers. The business employs 16,000 people across a significant estate of 1,250 'local' branches.

Connells has always been innovative and acquisitive, they were founding members of Rightmove and instrumental in the launch of Zoopla. In 2021 Connells successfully acquired Countrywide solidifying its position as the UK's largest and leading estate agency and property services provider.

As well as residential property sales and lettings, the Group has a comprehensive range of B2C and B2B services including new homes, mortgage services, conveyancing, EPCs, surveying, corporate lettings, PRS, Build to Rent, asset management, land & planning, LPA receivers, commercial real estate and auctions.

Putting all this together equals a business powerhouse that turns over £1billion per annum.

Connells Group is also a subsidiary of the Skipton Building Society, one of the UK's largest providers of financial services and products.

The role

With a 20 strong legal team, the Connells Board is looking to appoint a Group General Counsel and Company Secretary to lead the legal and company secretarial function and to assist in the next phase of growth for the organisation.

Specifically this will include:

Leadership : Ability to provide a clear team direction and vision through team communication, and inspirational leadership. Strategic leadership of the legal function, supporting and developing colleagues to ensure clear allocation of performance objectives and personal development for all team members to enhance skills and competencies within the team and succession planning.

Legal : Further developing the legal function so that is best placed to provide the business with the provision of accurate, timely and commercially pragmatic legal advice.

Specifically with:

• Product development;
• Major projects (e.g. M&A)
• Commercial contracts and outsourcing agreements - including a large IT upgrade project.
• The management of claims, actions or disputes for or against Connells and its subsidiaries which have wider consequences or have a significant impact on the Corporate Strategy.

Company Secretarial and Board involvement: Through leadership of the secretariat function, the provision of secretariat services, support and independent advice and support to the Connells Limited board of directors, board committees and executive committee. This will see you help embed efficient practices, high standards of corporate governance and ensuring compliance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements across the Connells Group, including responsibility for:

• The Connells Limited board, board committees and executive committee;
• The Governance section of the Annual Accounts;
• Regular board effectiveness reviews;
• New director inductions and director training;
• Assessing adherence levels to any applicable corporate governance codes.

You!

We are a highly entrepreneurial business working in a fast paced sector with lots of external challenges that the business needs to react to. We are also owned by a large Financial Services business with separate legal and compliance requirements. We are looking for someone who can help us navigate these two ways of working as well as helping Connells focus on growth opportunities.

You should be able to show experience of:

• Providing a clear team direction and vision through team communication, and inspirational.
• Being able to communicate clearly and succinctly on complex legal issues (both verbal and written) to direct/influence and persuade others at a high level.
• Influencing across a range of background and levels of seniority.
• Ability to harness the skills of external lawyers when required in a cost effective manner.
• Ability to identify areas of legal risk exposure by way of constructive challenge and propose solutions.

Remuneration

A highly attractive base salary, up to 50% bonus, 5% pension, car allowance, LTIPs and private medical.

If all of the above sounds like a role and business you would like to be part of please contact our retained consultants at BCL Legal: Mark Levine and Ray Birkett, via [email protected]

Connells legal teams are spread across London, Bedfordshire and the North West. Hybrid working is on offer however it is anticipated that your attendance in the Bedfordshire offices would be 1-2 days a week.

 

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Job tags

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Salary