Meet the Team - Donna

Meet Donna, our wonderful office manager, who works remotely from Southampton.

We’ve taken the time to ask for her reflections on her role in the business, what she makes of the development industry and what it’s like to work with your family.

Tell us about how you’ve ended up working with your sister and brother-in-law?

As with many things, it all feels a bit serendipitous looking back.

The stars aligned and, strangely enough, I have the pandemic to thank for that. Before Covid-19 hit, we would never have even considered working together; who would have their office manager working remotely from 250 miles away?

But, with so many things, that disrupting event caused us to look at the situation differently. And it really works. I come up to Manchester once a month for three days and manage things the rest of the time from Southampton, my home. I’ve just celebrated my first anniversary in the business, and it’s flown by.

What are your observations as a relative newcomer to the property sector?

I don’t have the same background as the rest of the team and I guess that does mean I’ve got a different perspective on the industry.

My training is in financial services but after a couple of changes in career direction (I retrained in 2022 as a dog groomer), I’m happy to find myself working within the property and development sector.

I’m constantly amazed by how complex the planning system is – there’s a lot of legislation and regulations surrounding the process of getting things built, and I certainly didn’t realise any of that before I joined the business. Building a planning strategy, armed with the technical knowledge that my colleagues have, is a really creative skill.

I do really like supporting the process administratively and with the number of complex, major applications that the company manages, there’s plenty of moving parts to keep track of.

Another thing: I’m sure I look up and notice buildings a lot more these days. I have more of an appreciation of what has to happen to get something built.

What makes Euan Kellie Property Solutions different from its competitors?

It might sound cheesy, but I strongly believe that it’s the personal touch we give our clients. We want to go the extra mile because it’s not about just getting the job done, it’s about making a difference.

That’s why we’re careful with who we choose to work for. We work with people who share our values, so we love to get alongside them and support them in any way we can.

What do you bring to the team?

I’ve always felt that people are generally either good with words, or good with numbers. I’m a numbers person, so I love being able to bring my background in accountancy and financial services into the role and help shape the business.

It’s a great fit for me because I love helping people, but I also have the autonomy to build the role into how I can best help improve processes and efficiencies.

Prior to this experience, I’m not sure what I’d have said about working with family, but now I can honestly say that it works well. Euan and Kelly welcome my opinions and I feel valued in what I offer.

What fires you up?

I like to be given something I can run with. A problem to grapple with, analyse the data and find a solution for. I do love a spreadsheet.

It’s very motivating to know that I’m contributing to something and helping make progress.

Describe your perfect working day

I like a chat so it’s important that I get a bit of contact with people. My visits to the office in Manchester form an important aspect of things though, of course, with modern technology I’m only a click away anyway!

I like having a mixture of regular tasks that I can tick off, combined with getting my head into something more complex that I can think through and improve.

For me it’s all about making progress and keeping busy.

What do you do for fun?

I do love dogs, though not enough to be a dog groomer! Before I had my daughter I would regularly take my dad’s dog out for long walks.

I’m a little busier these days but still really love getting out and about with my daughter.

My Manchester trips give me a little taste of city living, so I look forward to doing things that are a bit different from home life, like going out for dinner with Kelly.

Tell us something we don’t know about Kelly

I could really spill the beans here, couldn’t I!

OK, Kelly is a brilliant singer, but she’s been known to sometimes get the lyrics completely wrong. Just ask her about the song Holler Back Girl by Gwen Stefani.

She’s also a vegetarian and has been since she was 11. I love her cooking. She is good in the kitchen.