Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, one of the nation’s leading realtors, recently promoted Katherine Robinson-Cirelli to Senior Executive, Marketing Operations. As a key member of the organization’s marketing team, Robinson-Cirelli most recently has led the marketing program for its luxury Masterpiece Collection. Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty Chief Executive Officer Deirdre O’Connell made the announcement.
“I am thrilled to be able to promote Katherine into this leadership role,” said O’Connell. “Our marketing team has set an industry standard for innovative, impactful marketing. The various positions Katherine has held here in corporate marketing have given her a broad scope of experience and deep knowledge of our organization, our culture, and the essence of what makes us the premier real estate organization on Long Island. I couldn’t be more confident in her ability to lead our talented team.”
On Robinson-Cirelli’s part, she says her main focus is the ongoing quest to achieve the highest level of excellence. “We can’t just raise the bar. We are the bar against which every other real estate marketing effort is measured. What will take us to the next level? How can we exceed our own expectations and everyone else’s? This is what the marketing team will continue to pursue. It’s wonderful but tough being the company on top –and the pressure to stay there is what drives us every day. This team is more than up to that challenge.”
Robinson-Cirelli’s career at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty began in 2006 when she was hired as the executive assistant to President Patricia J. Petersen, who also served as CEO at that time. Under Petersen’s tutelage, Robinson-Cirelli’s responsibilities expanded alongside the rapid growth of the organization. She was named Director of Corporate Events in 2009, working with the marketing team on various campaigns while continuing her close work with the President and CEO. Robinson-Cirelli next added community relations to her role, where, as she says, “I got to look at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty from the outside in, which added to my perspective of our company and how to best market it.”
When Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty was named the exclusive sales and marketing company for The Ritz-Carlton Residences, North Hills, Robinson-Cirelli was named to the newly formed New Development team. In that role, she and her colleagues were charged with the ultimate challenge: how to sell something that didn’t yet exist outside of the minds of the project’s developer’s. “We set a new standard for marketing, successfully selling a luxury lifestyle when all we had to show was a construction site,” she recalls. “It forced us to get in the mind of a potential buyer and get them excited about a luxury hotel lifestyle unlike any other on Long Island. It was incredibly exciting to work with the Ritz-Carlton brand, and achieve the highest price per square foot for new construction on Long Island. ”
Her work on The Ritz-Carlton Residences ultimately led her to lead The Masterpiece Collection program. She accompanied real estate advisors on luxury listings presentations to help articulate the value of a custom marketing and advertising plan for the highest end properties, including a dedicated website and special advertising opportunities appropriate for the top of the market. “Understanding the needs and wants of the luxury seller is closely tied to our success in attracting what is a relatively small pool of prospective buyers,” Robinson-Cirelli explains.
A native of Huntington who continues to reside here, Robinson-Cirelli notes, “As Deirdre O’Connell will often remind everyone who works with Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, we should never overlook the fact that we are first and foremost a Long Island / Queens company. No one knows Long Island better than we do. It’s our home territory. Outside competitors don’t have that local knowledge.”