Gareth Williams

CountrywideGeneral Counsel & Company Secretary

Gareth Rhys Williams, solicitor and chartered company secretary (ACIS), is Group Company Secretary for Countrywide plc, and he also heads the Group`s Legal function. He is the holder of a number of Officer roles across the Group including Company Secretary to the Financial Services division; Director in the residential conveyancing business; Director in the Lambert Smith Hampton commercial agency business; and as Director and “Principal, Partner Director” (PPD) for regulatory purposes in the estate agency and lettings business. Appointed to the role in November 2000, Gareth brings 20 years` experience in the property sector and in a listed plc environment. On qualifying in 1990 he worked as a commercial litigation solicitor for private practice law firms Berg Legal (Manchester) and Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (London), before joining Thorn EMI plc in 1996, where he became Head of Legal and Company Secretary for the demerged Thorn UK Group in 1998. He has worked closely with a variety of Boards/management teams through Countrywide`s different ownership structures. He heads a team of 10 professional staff covering commercial, regulatory, litigation and company secretarial.