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Sales star Sue hails housebuilder’s values as she retires after 34 years

- 30 Jul 20

A dedicated new-build sales specialist in Coleshill has praised her housebuilder employer for its company values as she retires from the industry after more than 34 years.

Sue Ashton, 58, senior sales administrator at Bovis Homes – part of the newly-formed Vistry Group, which also includes Linden Homes and Vistry Partnerships – joined the business on her birthday in 1986, as an administrative assistant, using an electronic memory typewriter.

The Aston Villa fan says that, while much has changed over the decades, the sense of camaraderie remains the same. She has recently been based at Vistry’s West Midlands regional headquarters at Highway Point.

Sue, who lives in Sutton Coldfield, said: "Bovis Homes is a great place to work, and always has been, because it’s a company which values and wants to look after its staff. It seems to have a knack of employing really nice people! I will always look back at my time with Bovis Homes with much affection and hope that the company continues to grow and do well.

“Everything was very different at the start; no computers, no email. On my desk I had a phone and an electronic memory typewriter, which was absolutely state of the art back then!

“Before the regional office moved to Coleshill, we were based at Castle Bromwich Hall, which is now a hotel. I loved working there, it had lovely gardens, a grand staircase, lots of wood panelling, original fireplaces and even a couple of bats, which got in one day and were flying around the surveyor’s office!

“I’ve had a wonderful time in Coleshill and have been very proud of my contribution to the West Midlands region. I wish the sales department and the rest of my Vistry colleagues the very best for the future – I’ve had a great career within housebuilding and it just shows the variety of roles there are in the industry.”

Sue, a season ticket holder at Villa Park, now hopes to spend even more time watching her favourite claret and blues.

Adrian Wood, regional sales and marketing director at Vistry, said: “Sue has been an incredibly valuable member of my team and has given an extraordinary service over three decades to Bovis Homes. Not only is Sue a consummate professional, she is a genuinely lovely person to work with and we wish her all the very best in her retirement.”