RSA lays off estate agent marketing boss

Royal & SunAlliance (RSA) estate agency chain Sequence has made marketing director Robert Pieczka redundant. The move is seen as a reflection of the weakening housing market and the need to cut costs.

Royal & SunAlliance (RSA) estate agency chain Sequence has made marketing director Robert Pieczka redundant. The move is seen as a reflection of the weakening housing market and the need to cut costs.

Day-to-day marketing will henceforth be overseen by chief executive Charles Taylor and chief operating officer Robert Fallow, a former marketing director at Orange. No other marketers have been made redundant.

Sequence is the umbrella brand for RSA’s 12 estate agent networks, which encompass 350 branches, including the Barnard Marcus and Fox & Sons brands. The Sequence brand identity, designed by Fitch, was launched in October 2001 (MW October 18, 2001). The company says it no longer requires a senior marketer after the completion of the Sequence rebrand.

Pieczka joined RSA in January last year after working as a consultant for Sequence (MW January 24, 2002). He took over from Mike Sommers – a former marketing director of Woolworths and TSB – in May last year, when Sommers was made redundant (MW May 9, 2002). Pieczka has worked in marketing at Eastern Electricity, Clydesdale Bank and Nationwide Building Society.

Pieczka was also responsible for developing relationships with other financial services companies, to sell mortgages and insurance under the Sequence name.