Meet the team – Claire Howie
At Russwood, we’re proud to have a team driven by passion and dedication, and Claire is a testament to that. From a chance encounter to leading a dynamic team, Claire’s journey demonstrates initiative, strategic vision, and a commitment to building connections.
Life before Russwood
Having moved to Boat of Garten, Claire was looking for a job in the local area when she spotted an article in the local newspaper of plans to build a new office space at Russwood, due to expansion of the company. Claire knew of John Russell, founder of Russwood, as her grandparents had lived near John and his parents after they retired to Newtonmore. Claire reached out to ask if there were any potential marketing roles. This initiative paid off and six months later, Claire joined the team at Russwood as Marketing Manager.
From Manager to Director
Claire’s diverse background in marketing and project management brings a wealth of experience to her role, which is reflected in the many different hats she juggles at Russwood. Quickly progressing from Marketing Manager to Marketing Director, Claire now leads a dynamic team encompassing the Marketing, and Architectural Liaison Technician teams at Russwood. This gives her a unique overview of projects we are involved in, from conception to completion. Being involved in the whole project journey, which can take between 18 month and 2 years to complete, is one of her favourite parts of the job.
A day in the life of Claire
No two days ever look the same for Claire, and she’s a hard one to pin down. Claire now lives in Fife and splits her time between our Glasgow and Newtonmore offices, with occasional working from home days. Claire will regularly be out of office on site visits, building strong relationships with contractors and architects. Claire enjoys hosting tours for architects, contractors, and specifiers at our Newtonmore headquarters. These tours offer a unique opportunity to showcase our products, production facilities, and our core values which sets us apart from our competitors. You can find out more about how to book a tour in Claire’s blog; 5 benefits of visiting us in person.
Life beyond work
Outside the office, Claire enjoys walks on the beach with her dog, Bruno, and regularly attends Parkruns all over the UK. Our own Dancing Queen (and massive ABBA fan) Claire is always the first one on the dancefloor at any gathering, whether is a kitchen disco or our annual Christmas party.
We are always keen to hear from people who are interested in working at Russwood both in our yard and office teams. Available positions and details of how to apply speculatively can be found on our careers page.