Hollis hires Digby Flower as interim CEO

Hollis has appointed Digby Flower, former UK chair of Cushman & Wakefield, as interim chief executive. The consultancy said Flower’s appointment was part of “ambitious growth plans” since it became employee-owned in October 2021. He will oversee succession planning as Hollis’s founding directors step back from the day-to-day running of the business, and will lead the search for a permanent chief executive. Chairman and founder John Woodman and managing director Alex Brown will step down from the management board but remain within the business in an advisory capacity. Flower said: “I have always admired the way Hollis has managed to grow organically while staunchly retaining its independence and its ability to compete with its much bigger competitors simply by being the best at what it does and by constantly innovating. This is a business that has always been driven by its people, and I look forward to working closely with those people to put in place the structure needed to grow their company even further.” Woodman said: “To achieve the ambitious plans we have for future growth, we need to change the way the business is managed and structured, but without losing the culture we have worked hard to embed. “Digby is not only someone who knows the property industry inside out, he also knows what makes Hollis tick. He has watched our journey closely as an industry peer, friend and often confidant, so has the perfect balance of understanding our business while still having the objectivity of an outsider. He also has almost unrivalled experience in remodelling and growing market-leading real estate consultancies.” Flower stepped down from Cushman & Wakefield at the end of 2022. To send feedback, e-mail tim.burke@eg.co.uk or tweet @_tim_burke or @EGPropertyNews Read more: London’s ‘best adviser’ on why people, not property, make the best deals Photo © Cushman & Wakefield