We caught up with the CEO of D’Albora Marine to chat about the brokerage business, international boat shows and his personal passion for boating
What are your earliest on-water memories? I have always enjoyed the water. When I was young, we had a small aluminium boat with an outboard. I used to run that on the river, fishing and exploring. I believe my passion for boating all started from there.
Are you a power or sail person? Or both? Personally, I’m a power boat person but I do enjoy the odd sail, as long as there is someone else more capable at sailing than me onboard.
Tell us about your role as CEO of d’Albora Marine. The primary focus of my role is supporting our brokerage team and managing and developing the requirements of our platform. I’m an active broker myself. So, a day will typically involve work on my listings and those of the team and making decisions around marketing and new initiatives.
What do you love most about your role? On a personal level, I enjoy the relationships I’ve built with our team and clients. I’ve also enjoyed building d’Albora Marine from its infancy, seeing the business and team culture grow. The learning and advisory aspects that come from working within such an innovative industry are also rewarding.
Talk us through the d’Albora Marine business. Within a brokerage business we provide sales and purchase services. The purchase service includes domestic vessels but is more often in relation to vessels located overseas. We travel globally so that we can represent the global inventory better and provide a more informed type of advisory to our clients. Many members of our team have worked in the large yacht space overseas.
How long have you been involved with the marine industry? I started selling boats 20 years ago. After the financial crisis I worked with Austal Oceanfast in a global role focusing on new builds and refits of vessels ranging from 40 to 130 metres. I have mostly been in more rounded commercial and sales roles since then and enjoy building businesses and selling boats.
Tell us about the d’Albora Marine approach to customer service and how it aligns with the levels of service boat owners can expect across the d’Albora marina network. We have always been very big on how we do our business so that we provide a consistent and high level of service. This means everything from the brokers we hire, the setup of our sales and marketing platform, as well as our back-end processes. As a group, d’Albora is very focused on customer service and support and we pride ourselves on offering the same levels of customer service across our entire network.
What makes for a great boat buying experience? We place a huge value on doing the simple things well. Buyers want to work with someone who is helpful, experienced and knowledgeable, and to move through the transaction in a straightforward manner. We believe if we do these things well the buyer will have a good experience.
You recently attended the Cannes Yachting Festival, do you regularly attend international boat shows? Yes, we attend the show each year to view the abundance of new and second-hand vessels showcased, enhance our knowledge, and to continue to build our relationships with international industry colleagues and service providers. If we have clients attending, we will show suitable boats to them and we’ll also look for boats for those who cannot attend. A significant number of Australians attend international boat shows and it’s something we highly recommend to buyers looking for vessels up to 50 metres in length.
Did you notice any boat design trends or innovations among the exhibitors at the Cannes Yachting Festival? In relation to larger boats, there seems to be a shift away from speed and a move towards medium speed, with great emphasis on practicality, use of space and further connectivity with the sea. On top of this, there continues to be innovations focused around building more environmentally friendly boats. This includes developments such as hybrid propulsion systems but also includes things such as alternatives for teak decking and even recycled fishing nets being used for carpets.
What advice would you have for someone considering a career in the marine industry? I’m a big believer in doing something you’re passionate about. Like with any industry, I’d encourage anyone interested in the marine industry to speak to professionals who have long-term experience, to help guide you about how best to start.
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