Cluttons has appointed a new generation of young chief executives and is overhauling its bonus system.
Senior partner Richard Cotton said the 550-strong firm, which billed £37m last year, needed chief executives in their late 30s and early 40s. This was “to keep the energy levels up and bring on new people”.
Bill Siegle takes over from Robert Cobb in commercial, Paul Chilton from Mike Tolley in project and building consultancy, Robert Bartlett from Cotton in residential agency, Chris Jowett from Bill Hughes in rural asset management, and Don Bradley from Cotton to head Middle East business. Julian Briant remains head of residential.
Cobb, Hughes and Tolley are returning to fee-earning and client-relationship roles.
Cotton said the new chief execs would face tougher targets.
He said: “In the past, we let the divisional leaders set their own targets and they were not challenged too rigorously but, this year, the executive board has set the targets and the divisional leaders have had to adjust their teams to meet them – either by increasing their income or reducing their costs.”
The firm will be run by a strategic board, chaired by Cotton, and a slimmer executive board, chaired by managing partner Gareth Clutton.
The executive committee plans to shift Cluttons’ bonus arrangements towards a more discretionary system.
“It is difficult to have 500 people treated fairly under one system,” said Cotton.
The executive board will be made up of Cotton, Clutton and finance director Chris Stanton. It replaces the larger operations board, which included the heads of its six divisions.
