Zoopla hires new boss who left Cazoo before its collapse
Mr Whitehead is returning to lead the online property portal after he left as chief strategy officer in 2018.
He said he was 'delighted to return to Zoopla' having spent the past three months advising the company's shareholders.
Mr Whitehead left Cazoo in April last year, shortly before it collapsed into administration.
The online marketplace, through which people can buy and sell cars, had launched a drastic restructuring which saw it shed hundreds of jobs.
Cazoo was founded in the UK in 2018 by Alex Chesterman – who is also the founder of Zoopla – and was once valued at around £5 billion.
The brand was bought in June last year by secondhand car site Motors, which relaunched the website and app.
Mr Whitehead wrote in a LinkedIn post on leaving Cazoo that it 'wasn't an easy decision' and admitted the team 'made mistakes along the way for sure but learnt a lot at the same time'.
Zoopla, which is the second-largest property portal behind market leader Rightmove, said the new appointment comes at a time for growth for the business.
This includes new contracts with estate agency groups, including Leaders Romans Group – a Berkshire-based property management firm – which it said had returned after a year with rival marketplace OnTheMarket.
During the year so far Zoopla has gained 450 new estate agency branches which use the platform to advertise their listings and connect with home buyers and renters.
'My focus is on building upon the clear competitive advantage that Zoopla has in delivering high-quality buyers and vendors to our customers,' Mr Whitehead said.
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