BREAKING: Purplebricks marketing chief leaves after 12 months

Purplebricks Chief Marketing Officer Ben Carter is to leave the company in a few weeks after describing his tenure at the hybrid agency as ‘short but sweet’.

He has also revealed to friends on LinkedIn that he is moving on to a ‘very exciting new role’.

“I’m very proud of what we and the team have delivered; it has been phenomenal & I can’t wait to see where the business goes- and will be cheering on from the side-lines,” he said.

Carter has clearly made friends at the agency during his 12 months at the firm, with its Chief Digital Officer commenting that: “You’ve left a legacy you can be very proud of and excited to see you make the same impact in the new gig”.

Carter joined Purplebricks in March this year from Just Eat and was tasked with all aspects of marketing strategy, with particular focus on driving growth and diversifying the channel mix.

He was part of a concerted effort to shrug off the firm’s ‘commisery’ approach and end the long years of it being a ‘hate figure’ within the property industry.

During an interview with The Neg just after his arrival, Carter said: “Technology and the internet has allowed a company like Purplebricks to come in and change the way home buying and selling is done, but it doesn’t mean we need to be hated,” he says.

News of Carter’s departure ends a difficult few weeks for his boss, CEO Vic Darvey, who must now find a replacement and also deal with both a nose-diving share price but also a potential legal challenge from former self-employed agents via the ongoing ‘class action’ being organised by legal firm Contractors for Justice.

A spokesperson from Purplebricks says: “Ben Carter will be leaving his role as Purplebricks CMO at the end of year, having accepted a new position in another sector. A new CMO will be joining Purplebricks in the new year and this will be announced shortly.”