What does it take to be the UK & Ireland agent of the year?

She openly admits that losing her mum when she was only 23 had a big impact on her life. ‘With Mum, it happened so fast, it changed my life,” she says. “You never know what’s around the corner. I’m just grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.”

Although she had worried she was taking a risk by going it alone, her business flourished during the pandemic: “I thrived in the worst time,” she says. “Because of the challenges I had to face, that meant I could stand out from the crowd.”

Losing her mum helped instil in Katie a positive mental attitude that has seen her through the tougher times. When her son was nominated to speak on local radio in the pandemic, he shared with listeners that he had been helping his mum with her business. “The producers noticed that my son and I put a more positive spin on lockdown, and that led to more requests and then we had a camera crew come to our house for the local TV news. My children even know my Abta number, that’s how invested they were!”

Katie has continued to appear on local radio, sharing travel stories: “Every opportunity, we travel – from a £99 deal at Haven to five-star in the Turks and Caicos,“ she says. “Even in the pandemic I had to show my clients – if I can do it, you can too.”

She’s worked hard at building local networks. She and her wedding photographer recommend each other’s services, and her children’s swimming teacher offers a 10% discount on lessons for Katie’s clients. “I helped him get his bags back on his holiday,” she says. “You get back what you give when it comes to relationships.”

But more often, she’s simply doing it because she cares. To help a former client from Ukraine earlier this year, Katie went much further than a routine collection of nappies and cuddly toys, opting for items that were harder to source such as sleeping bags, survival kits, and oil-filled lamps, to be used by the army. She was the drop-off point and then she arranged for the items to be sent out to Ukraine.

Whether it’s charity collections or the small gestures that make a big difference in service, Katie goes the extra mile, making her a well-deserved winner. “It’s mind-blowing,” she says. “How do you top being awarded the best agent in the country?”