Winning together: How the COO of Zoopla, Richard Hayes, evolved his leadership style

In this interview with Richard Hayes, the COO of Zoopla, he discusses his entrepreneurial background and the company’s current vision. He shares his journey from starting a car finance business at 21 to founding and eventually selling Mojo Mortgages before joining Zoopla. Richard talks about his leadership style, moving from a competitive "winner" mentality to a collaborative "win together" approach that now defines Zoopla's internal culture and its focus on bringing value to customers.The conversation also explores Zoopla’s role as a marketing partner for estate agents, focusing on high-quality lead generation and the strategic use of data. Richard explains how Zoopla is investing in AI to enhance the consumer experience through personalised property alerts and improved search parameters while ensuring these tools drive real ROI for agents. Finally, he offers advice for agency owners, encouraging them to embrace experimentation, specifically with flexible fee models, and to stay curious about how AI can improve their business operations.