Meet the Team: Katie O’Shea, Specification Sales Manager – South
Katie O’Shea, Specification Sales Manager for Beko Appliance Partners, leverages her almost 20 years of experience in the kitchen appliance supply industry into lasting relationships, supporting housebuilders and developers across the south of the UK. Katie joined Beko Appliance Partners nine years ago and enjoys helping our partners deliver beautiful homes complemented by stylish and functional appliances, ensuring deadlines and budgets are always adhered to.
What does your work and role look like?
No day is average here with Beko Appliance Partners. We are a very customer-driven team who work hard to offer a truly end-to-end service tailored to the specific requirements of the customer. We recommend and specify appliance solutions for a range of housebuilders and developers to create the most ideal option for each development. Our relationship with our customers doesn’t end after the specification stage – we have a robust support team in place dedicated to providing exceptional service for our customers every step of the way. As a team, we give 100% commitment to our partners throughout the purchase process, from initial product specification and contractual arrangements through to delivery, installation and aftercare.
How do you feel the Beko Appliance Partners service differs from other competitors?
The Appliance Partners division of Beko plc genuinely cares about our customers and the projects we are fortunate enough to work on. I think the fact we are able to offer an end-to-end service that is tailored specifically to the requirements of our customers is a massive advantage and something I stress with our clients to take advantage of.
How have you seen customer priorities change over the years when it comes to choosing appliances?
Priorities all differ slightly depending on the market sector, so it’s important to keep up with the changing requirements, trends and legislations for each. For the build-to-rent sector, for example, it’s particularly important that appliances are reliable and can seamlessly blend into any size kitchen. Operators also demand good aftercare service as it’s usually the developers or building owners who are responsible and liable for keeping appliances up to date.
Private developers, on the other hand, are more concerned with aesthetics and competitive pricing, looking for products that will help their homes sell with the lowest upfront cost. It is expensive to build a housing development with 100 homes, so having an affordable yet stylish and functional product is the main priority.
What kitchen appliance trends are you seeing at the moment?
There is a clear shift away from the more traditional stainless-steel ovens towards a slicker, black glass look. Obviously, integrated appliances are also a massive trend as these allow appliances to be hidden and create a chic look in a kitchen. From a functional standpoint, energy consumption continues to be a key consideration, with more focus being on running and lifetime costs of the appliance.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I enjoy the people I work with on a day-to-day basis, whether that’s our customers or members of the Beko team. My job is really about people and the connections and relationships you make, so it’s important to enjoy the company of the people I see and work with every day.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
When I have spare time, I focus a lot on unwinding. I like to go on long walks to clear my head and socialising or meeting up with my friends.
How would your friends and family describe you in 3 words?
I would say they would describe me at loyal, stubborn and hardworking.