Genesis Homes has continued its growth, hiring accomplished marketing manager Catherine Watson (formerly Cannon) as Head of Brand.
Catherine will further develop the brand for the Penrith-based homebuilder, building on the company’s existing profile and rising popularity while aiming to cement Genesis Homes as an aspirational lifestyle brand synonymous with high-quality new homes. As a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a qualified Interior Designer, Catherine will direct all aspects of Genesis Homes’ marketing and brand.
In her previous position as Group Marketing Manager at Story Homes, Catherine was influential in building and implementing the brand strategy that saw the housebuilder grow from 150 to over 1000 houses in the last five years. That campaign saw her short-listed for the prestigious CIM awards and receive high commendation for her work on the rebrand.
Now she’s set to turn her experienced eye to Genesis Homes. The new homebuilder began construction on its first site in 2017 and now employs 24 people while contributing to the creation of over 50 jobs in Cumbria. The company has assembled a diverse management team to help scale the business to meet the strong demand for high-quality homes in Cumbria.
Due to phenomenal sales at Genesis Homes’ Wigton site, the homebuilder has brought forward its development schedule and is on track to sell 150 new homes per year by 2021. Genesis Homes has several sites in development across Cumbria and has submitted detailed plans for a new site in the Eden village of Armathwaite. Sales have now officially opened on Genesis Homes’ new site in Brigham.
Managing Director Nicky Gordon said: “Catherine’s skills and considerable experience in marketing and strategy represent a welcome addition to the Genesis Homes team. Her work will be instrumental in building our business and delivering our high-quality homes across Cumbria.”
Catherine said: “Working with Genesis Homes is an exciting challenge for me and it was really nice when Nicky approached me about the role. Genesis Homes has undoubtedly had brilliant sales so far at the Wigton site and early interest in the newly launched development at Brigham has been excellent. The marketing suite at Brigham is the first site to showcase the new branding and I’m pleased to say we’ve had fantastic feedback.”
Catherine lives in the Eden Valley near Penrith with her husband and two children. She’s also known as the creator of beloved children’s book character Felix the Fast Tractor. One of Felix’s adventures was voted ‘best Cumbrian book ever’ by the public in a surprise win at the renowned Lakeland Book awards in 2009.