KATIE MORRIS is head of group marketing at Morris & Company, which has its headquarters in Shrewsbury. This is her 21st year with the business.
WHAT DOES YOUR JOB INVOLVE? Guiding the strategy and marketing plans for our group of property-related businesses which range from development and construction, portfolio management to holiday rentals.
HOW HAS YOUR COMPANY, AND/OR YOUR OWN ROLE, BEEN IMPACTED BY THE RECENT UNCERTAINTIES IN THE ECONOMY? The company is over 150 years old so it has weathered a fair few economic crises! In marketing terms, we had just enjoyed an amazing 2019 marking the company’s 150th anniversary, publishing books and films, staging exhibitions and special events – followed by the dramatic impact of the pandemic which hit us all in 2020.
This was particularly poignant for our care division at the time, where daily and sometimes hourly, communications were pivotal. So, in both periods the company needed agile and effective marketing. I have a brilliant team working with me so we could rise to both challenges. With today’s cost of living crisis, our holiday rentals business has been presented with some challenges which needed strong tactical marketing – thankfully the booking pipeline has since improved.
HAS THE FALLOUT FROM THE PANDEMIC CREATED ANY NEW OPPORTUNITIES? Yes, property was affected in many ways with supply, material prices and manpower under pressure. However, the construction sector was encouraged to keep building during the pandemic so, as a company, we didn’t stop. This sat well with our clients for ongoing work as well as subsequent projects which we have been awarded since.
ARE YOU STILL MEETING ON ZOOM/TEAMS ETC, OR BACK TO FACE-TO-FACE NETWORKING? The majority of our work is now face to face although we still hop on Teams to keep projects moving and to timescales. We enjoy networking and meeting people at events – it’s always more memorable than staring at someone over a screen.
HOW DO YOU HOPE YOUR COLLEAGUES WOULD DESCRIBE YOU? Fair, supportive, exacting and full of energy. Hopefully a bit inspiring…
HIGHLIGHTS OR MILESTONES OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
ANY PARTICULARLY FUNNY STORIES DURING YOUR CAREER? The horror of a large potato rolling out of my briefcase onto the centre of the large Board table at my first big client meeting when I was a young starter in my career (it was for supper that night at my boyfriend’s!)
Being auctioned by Brian Clough at a Butlins convention of under 18 school boys when working for Gillette. Nowadays it just wouldn’t happen.
PET HATES? Anyone bringing a bad mood to work with them.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF SOME WISE ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Don’t sweat the small stuff and choose your battles.
HOW DO YOU RELAX AWAY FROM WORK? Cooking, running, art classes, pottering around the garden watching my husband Chris do all the hard work, seeing friends and my Wednesday G&T date nights with my wonderful 90-year-old father.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS SPECIAL ABOUT THE SHROPSHIRE BUSINESS COMMUNITY? It’s vibrant, connected and supportive.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY WOULDN’T KNOW. I can type with my eyes closed (for a bit) at 90 words a minute.
YOU CAN TAKE ONE BOOK, ONE FILM AND ONE CD ONTO A DESERT ISLAND – WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
FIVE DREAM DINNER PARTY GUESTS, DEAD OR ALIVE? Barack Obama, Reese Witherspoon, Richard E Grant, Jane Austen and the wonderful Joanna Lumley.
WHAT WOULD YOU COOK FOR THEM? Goat’s cheese souffle, pan fried seabass, and Nigella’s chocolate tart (it’s Nutella!)
AND FINALLY . . . WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NEXT 12 MONTHS HAS IN STORE? We have just kicked off our new financial year marketing plans with loads of great initiatives to get our teeth into. We’ve launched a video with Shrewsbury Town FC announcing our sponsorship which was great fun to film. No two days are the same here . . . long may that continue.
