Chairman retires after 27 years with Henry Adams

Richard Williscroft steps down from his position as Chairman of Henry Adams at the end of March 2019 after 27 years with the multi-disciplinary agency.

Richard launched the estate agency arm of the business in 1992 when he joined his former colleague Henry Adams who had set up his agricultural business a year earlier with Simon Lush, still an active partner at the company today. 

Always looking to seize any opportunity to expand the business, Henry Adams now has 16 residential sales offices, a thriving lettings business, one of the region’s leading land and new homes operations, rural, planning, surveying and commercial property departments with regular fine art auctions from the company’s sale rooms in Chichester.

“Henry Adams is unique in the region with our range of services,” said Richard. “It’s one of our key strengths. We are simply different and it has given us a lot of stability over the years.”

Richard first met Henry Adams whilst both were working for Prudential Property Services which had bought Richard’s former firm Pearsons, where he was Managing Partner for their 35 offices. He subsequently became Regional Managing Director for Prudential.

“I had great respect for Henry and all he stood for, you couldn’t meet a nicer man,” said Richard.  “I really enjoy selling houses and I still get a buzz out of clinching deals. I’m very grateful to my wife, Jackie, who has had great impact throughout my career at Henry Adams, especially when I was working flat out seven days a week. 

“We built up a good reputation pretty quickly and I remember standing in the Ballroom at Goodwood House conducting a property auction for one of the houses on the estate.  It was quite humbling being surrounded by such priceless art and we’d only been going for a year.  We had some early successes and then it just flew.”

Along with his passion for marketing, Richard has also championed the company’s involvement in the community, particularly Henry Adams’s sponsorship of Chichester Festival Theatre for the past 25 years.

“The whole Henry Adams team are committed to their involvement in supporting the local community. Last year we supported 30 schools across the region with over 75 fund raising activities, and this year our chosen charity is St Wilfrid’s Hospice, and I’m delighted in our 25th year we will be sponsoring ‘Oklahoma!’ at the theatre.”

Philip Jordan, Chief Executive at Henry Adams, who takes on Richard’s executive responsibilities, said, “I would like to thank Richard personally and on behalf of everyone at Henry Adams for his dedication and the huge contribution he has made to the company’s success over the past 27 years. His legacy can be seen in so many different areas but our powerful marketing and our continued drive for excellence in everything we do are two great examples. We wish Richard and his wife Jackie a long, healthy, and very well deserved retirement.”

Richard added, “The one thing that has set Henry Adams apart over the years is our people.  Even from the early days when the business started to grow, to survive as an estate agency you have to be outstanding. 

“Few businesses experience as many peaks and troughs as estate agency, and having qualified as a Chartered Surveyor from the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester 50 years ago I have experienced all the highs and lows! 

“At Henry Adams, we’ve always looked for people who go the extra mile and I’m indebted to every single one of them, and particularly the excellent and experienced group of Partners and Directors who continue to drive this business forward with vision and energy.”