New chief executive for HomeServe UK

John Kitzie will succeed Greg Reed, who leaves after three years is in post and has been instrumental in the home assistance provider's UK growth.

Mr Kitzie has been with HomeServe North America since 2012, first as chief operating officer and since 2018 as chief executive.

North America has been HomeServe’s largest and fastest growing business, and has delivered substantial growth in customer numbers, revenue and operating profits under Mr Kitzie’s leadership.

He said: “I am excited by the challenge of preparing the UK business for a period of sustained growth. It’s a mature market but I see lots of potential for transformation and innovation, in the service of our customers. I am really looking forward to working closely with our teams, our partners and our customers and exploring new ways to continue to build our UK business.”

American-born Mr Reed joined HomeServe as chief marketing officer in 2012 as part of the new senior leadership team brought in to make significant changes to the company culture and ensure it focused on delivering the best possible service for its customers. He became UK chief executive in 2017.

Mr Reed has been instrumental in building a 'People First' culture in the last eight years, which has seen the UK business radically improve the way it services customers and looks after its staff, evidenced through its ‘excellent’ rating on Trust Pilot and its place as a top 20 Glassdoor ‘Best Place to Work’ for three consecutive years.

Under Mr Reed, HomeServe UK, which has its headquarters at Cable Drive, has doubled the number of repair jobs undertaken over the last five years by extending its product coverage and simply saying ‘yes’ to more claims, which means customers experience real value and keep renewing their policies.

“Having the freedom and support to build a service company that genuinely puts customers first every time, and one that recognises the value and the contribution of its People across the whole organisation, has been a privilege. I’m proud of how we’ve seen our culture and our brand evolve over the last eight years. Now feels like the right time for me to move on and I am pleased to be leaving HomeServe having achieved everything I wanted, and more," said Mr Reed who leaves HomeServe UK in October.

HomeServe delivers plumbing, drainage, electrics and heating services through its own nationwide network of HomeServe approved engineers.

It now has nearly two million UK customers and nearly eight million worldwide.