Specsavers CMO Katherine Whitton on her brand building legacy
Katherine Whitton may be leaving Specsavers after three years, but she looks back with pride on a tenure, which has included negotiating the challenge of Covid-19 and repositioning the brand.
Specsavers CMO Katherine Whitton absolutely adores her job. Despite taking the decision to leave after a relatively short tenure of three years, she is unwavering in her support of the brand.
“This job has been probably the best job I’ve had in my career,” says Whitton.
So why is she leaving? Location. Specsavers is based on the small island of Guernsey and Whitton, who grew up in Hong Kong and spent her previous working career in London, craves the bustle of a big city.
“One thing this year has done for a lot of us is made us reflect on what is important and we just came to the conclusion that we needed the energy of being off a small island,” she explains.
“It’s really tough and the first time I’ve had to make a decision around work and life, because normally you just make a decision around your job. It’s not about the job, but the lifestyle.”
Whitton joined the business in May 2018 after eight years at Barclaycard, which culminated in three years as CMO of the payments giant. While she is set to leave Specsavers in April, her achievements include the restructure of the in-house agency and the development and implementation of a new brand strategy, including a refreshed visual identity, logo and global store format.
