Barefoot - the home of Floor Couture - has appointed a dynamic marketer with an extensive background in corporate social responsibility to connect the luxury brand in the UK marketplace.

Zoë Hanks joins the Cheshire-based Barefoot team as Marketing and Ethics Director.

The 32-year-old has an extensive background in international marketing, and joins Barefoot from a consultancy role with ethical marketing company, Grassroots Ideas.

With a multi-million pound showroom recently opened on the outskirts of Congleton, Barefoot’s unique, seamless floor finishes - all designed to encourage people to lose their shoes and enjoy the feeling of freedom underfoot – are inspiring a revolution in interiors across the North West and beyond.

Zoë lives in Congleton with her husband and young son, and is in the final stages of completing an MSc in Corporate Communications and Reputation Management from Manchester Business School.

She will be working closely with the ‘Barefoot entrepreneur’ Dawn Gibbins MBE, a former Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year, to market the concept.

Dawn said: “Barefoot delivers a fresh, new sensory experience for British interiors - and we needed someone with the wow factor to really connect people with the brand and reflect its values.

“Zoë’s creative and innovative approach, coupled with her extensive experience of global marketing, means she is well-placed to bring the Barefoot experience to life.

I’m sure that Zoë’s MSc will also be a valuable asset when considering future strategy developments.”

In 2008, Dawn sold her global commercial and industrial flooring business Flowcrete - which she built up from a start-up in the 1980s to a major international company with offices in 30 countries - for millions of pounds.

Now, through her new business venture Barefoot, Dawn is able to combine her love of flooring with her passion for health, wellbeing and Feng Shui.

Zoë has held high-profile roles with Blue Chip companies, including Communications and Marketing roles with Cheshire-based AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

She also spent more than five years in Dubai, working as Regional Marketing and PR Manager for Sun Microsystems, covering the Middle East Africa Region.

Zoë said: “Barefoot is one of the most exciting brands to emerge in recent times. The concept of ‘Floor Couture’ is going to revolutionise British interiors, creating more inspiring, healthier environments – and the business overall delivers a range of social, economic and environmental benefits.”