Willmott Dixon appoints senior business development manager to drive East Midlands growth

Willmott Dixon has appointed Katie Shooter as a senior business development manager for the East Midlands, supporting the company’s growth ambitions and deepening its connection with communities across the region.

Based at the company’s Nottingham office on Castle Meadow Road, Katie will oversee the East Midlands patch, covering Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire, as part of Willmott Dixon’s wider Midlands region. She joins from engineering firm Dalkia.

With 16 years’ experience spanning business development, account management and strategic partnership growth, including six years in the construction sector, Katie has built a strong reputation for forging lasting client relationships and identifying opportunities that support long-term growth. Bringing an established network of contacts across the Midlands, she will be tasked with maintaining existing relationships and forming new partnerships, enabling Willmott Dixon to deliver projects drawing on its expertise across the education, residential, healthcare, leisure, defence, commercial and blue light sectors.

Peter Owen, Willmott Dixon’s managing director in the Midlands, said: “Katie’s appointment reflects our commitment to growing our presence in the East Midlands and building even stronger relationships with the customers and communities we serve. Her experience and relationship-led approach make her a natural fit for our team, and she will play an important part in delivering our plans for the region.”

Katie said: “I was considering the next step in my career and conversations with the team at Willmott Dixon quickly highlighted our matching levels of ambition. Willmott Dixon is a recognisable business in the region, and its approach to construction aligns with my own values and way of operating. Over the years, Willmott Dixon’s offering has broadened, and we want to make sure that is fully understood and appreciated, so that customers can experience the simplification, collaboration and quality we offer.

“I’m ready to make a difference, not only for Willmott Dixon’s customers but also the communities we work in. Whether it’s new schools or new homes we’re creating, there are so many opportunities to connect with people and make a tangible difference. I’m keen to tap into the extensive resources at Willmott Dixon and make sure our presence in the East Midlands is both seen and felt.”

In her construction career, Katie has played an active role in supporting professional organisations including Constructing Excellence and the FBE through committee involvement and industry engagement, a relationship-driven approach she aims to continue across the public, private and third sectors.

Katie continued: “The culture at Willmott Dixon is unique, which is reflected in its legacy of success in the Midlands and beyond. I hope the positivity and transparency that define my approach to business will help strengthen our links to the important developments taking place across the region. The business has had an excellent start to the year and there is meaningful momentum building ahead of our new construction strategy launching soon. This means I’ve arrived with the pressure to make my own contribution known, which is exactly the situation in which I thrive.”

Katie joins a business with an established track record across the East Midlands. Recent and current projects in the region include the £38m transformation of Outwood Academy Kirkby in Nottinghamshire, and a programme of net zero in operation schools for Leicestershire County Council, among them Hollycroft Primary School.