We speak to Katie O’Shea of Beko Appliance Partners about her successful career path and her current role with the national housebuilder supplier.
Please tell us a little about yourself and your current role.
I’m the national specifications manager at Beko Appliance Partners, which basically means I spend my days helping developers, housebuilders, and specifiers choose the right appliances for their projects. No two days are ever quite the same: one day I’ll be deep in tender documents, the next I’m working with my team on how we can add more value to our customers. I’ve recently been promoted and now lead a brilliant specifications team, and I’m a big believer that a happy, motivated team is the real secret behind delivering great results.
Have you always worked in industry related to the housebuilding sector?
Not at all! I’ve worked in a few very different industries over the years – cleaning, caring, telecoms – before finding my way into appliances over 20 years ago. Each role taught me something valuable, especially the importance of good service. That lesson has stuck with me, whatever sector I’ve been in.
Did you have an early idea about your career aspirations while at school/college?
When I was younger, I actually wanted to be an astronaut. I was told that being Irish, and a woman, didn’t really fit the bill at the time, so that dream was parked pretty quickly! But I’ve always been ambitious, and once I found the appliance industry, I realised there was plenty of room to make an impact and carve out a career I’m proud of.
What’s been the career path to your current role?
I started out in supply chain and then moved into aftercare, which gave me a really solid understanding of how the whole customer journey works, from getting the product out of the factory to supporting it once it’s in someone’s home. Moving into sales later on meant I could use that knowledge to bring real value to clients. I’ve always believed that customer satisfaction isn’t just about what you sell; it’s about how you support people every step of the way.
Do you have a wide range of housebuilder clients, and varied challenges and rewards?
Absolutely. We work with everyone from big private developers and Build to Rent operators to smaller housing associations and architects. Each brings its own challenges: the larger projects can be complex but rewarding when everything comes together, while the smaller ones are more personal and you can see the impact really clearly. The common thread is making sure we’re flexible and deliver on time, on budget, and to spec.
Has there been a particularly satisfying achievement, or influential person, in your career to date?
A real career highlight was in 2019 when Beko became the number one large home appliance brand in the UK. That was a proud moment because it felt like recognition of years of hard work across the whole business. For me, it showed that consumers genuinely trust the brand – which is something money can’t buy.
And of course, my recent promotion to national specifications manager is an achievement I’m particularly proud as a woman working in the construction industry.
What do you enjoy most about working at Beko?
It’s the people, first and foremost. There’s a real family feel and sense of support. The other thing is that we have such a strong range of brands and products. It means we can go into conversations with developers confident we’ll have a solution that fits. And with the back-up of our supply chain and aftercare service, we can genuinely stand by what we deliver.
The end of 2025 isn’t far away – are you already well into planning for what you’ll be up to with Beko in 2026?
We are, yes. We’re excited to talk to customers about our new wider portfolio of leading brands – Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Beko and Indesit. We have an offer to suit all type of project which helps to open new conversations. There’s also a lot of planning underway to make sure we’re ready for what’s coming down the line, especially if the government follows through with some of its promises. New Product Introduction is a big focus as developers are always looking for products that are innovative, reliable, and good value, and that’s an area where Beko does really well. It’s exciting to see what’s coming next, and I’m looking forward to helping bring those products to market.
