Jo Assael

Yachts Commercial Director, IRI/Marshall Islands Registry

Quentin Bargate

Founder & CEO

Michelle Van der Merwe

Pantaenius Monaco

Danielle McLaren

Managing Director, Yotspot

James Roy

Managing Director, Lateral Naval Architects

From a very young age James decided that drawing boats was what he wanted to do for a living, so when he came across a leaflet advertising Yacht Design at Southampton Institute the stage was set and in 1996 he graduated with first class honours.

James believes that clarity of thought and focus are key ingredients for success and thrives in small teams working on creative and innovative projects that challenge accepted practices.

When not leading the company’s yacht work, James will most likely be found either sailing around the waters of the Solent or soaring above the Hampshire countryside in a hang glider.

Kenny Jones MBE

Managing Director, IGY Marinas

Kenny Jones is currently contracted to oversee the IGY’s group day to day operations. Prior to this, he was the Operations Director for one of the largest Marina operators in Europe (19 Facilities). Kenny is responsible for the group’s entire portfolio (19 Facilities in 11 countries), upland, boat yards and marinas financial performance as well as advising on future business developments.

To date, Kenny has managed over 30 marina facilities in 18 different countries and cultures.  Kenny also served in the British Army as the Senior Marine Operations Officer and advisor on marine operations worldwide to a network of over 300 specialist servicemen. During his service in the British army, he was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) and other decorations.

Lisandro Torres

Yacht Design Lab

Lisandro is a versatile marine professional specialised in Yacht Design and New Builds Project Management. With over 20 years of work experience, and a robust background in managing multiple luxurious superyacht builds for prestigious shipyards including Benetti Yachts, Wally, and Sunseeker International. Lisandro has also successfully managed prominent luxury projects for renowned design studios such as Studio Sculli and Luxury Projects in Italy, along with RWD in the UK.

Jason Robertson

Mimo Connect

Jason‘s voyage into the yachting realm commenced alongside his wife Nicci in 2008, following a distinguished seven-year tenure as an IT Consultant in London. It was during this time that Jason‘s expertise in AVIT garnered attention, leading him to consult within a prominent yachting management company, where he discovered his true passion for the industry. Transitioning to yachts, Jason assumed roles as an ETO/AVIT officer, fuelled by his unwavering zeal for technology and maritime endeavours. In 2017, fuelled by their shared vision, Jason and Nicci established Robertson ETOs, a specialised agency catering to ETO/AVIT needs. A mere year and a half later, their entrepreneurial spirit culminated in the inception of MIMO Connect, offering unparalleled connectivity and support to Captains, Engineers, and ETOs. For over the past five years at MIMO Connect, Jason has built an enviable reputation in marine connectivity and is considered a leading voice in technology circles.

Vicky Farrow

Business Development Manager, RAD Propulsion

Tim Mayer

Sales & Marketing Director, MDL Marinas

Director of Europe’s leading marina group operating 19 major marinas and boatyards and managing over 7,000 berths Tim has over 20 years’ sales and marketing experience.

Since joining MDL Tim has been busy transforming the customer journey process and sales transition from the offline to the online world. Part of this journey has included launching the UK’s first green gym chain MDL Fitness with equipment is capable of converting energy expended by the user into electricity to supplement the building’s power supply, Introducing Otium the marine Industries most  comprehensive loyalty scheme and founded the Green Technology Boat Show.  

Richard Selby

CEO, British Superyacht

Capt Brian Murphy

CEO, Poole Harbour Commissioners

Laura Harrison

Communications & Marketing Manager, Camper & Nicholsons Marinas

Ed Ewer

CEO, Superyacht Recruiter

Luke Dunton

Oyster Yachts

Just over 2 years now I have been heading up talent acquisition and project resource for multiple projects across 5 different sites nationally, for Oyster Yachts.

Overseeing the apprenticeship & graduate scheme, delivering brand awareness and promotional content supporting within the marine industry, I thrive on building talent into our organisation!

Giles Barkley

Senior Lecturer (Yacht Design) at Southampton Solent University

Giles Barkley is a senior lecturer and Course Leader for the internationally recognised B.Eng Yacht & Powercraft Design, B.Eng Yacht Design & Production and MSc Superyacht Design degrees since the early 1990’s. With this lecturing and course development experience, Giles is well placed to give an overview of attracting, educating and developing the next generation of Yacht, Commercial Craft and Superyacht designers and production managers.

Many graduates are now prominent names in the marine design industry, in the UK, Europe and as far as NZ and the USA. Giles calls upon these professionals to ensure that the revised editions of the degree courses are focussed on industry requirements, deliver an excellent learning experience and produce ‘work ready’ graduates for the marine industry. 

Giles is also involved in research and is currently developing alongside a commercial company a prototype for an electric hydro-foiling trimaran Ferry. 

Glen Campbell

Personnel Operations Management, TWW Yacht Management

Glen came shoreside after more than 7 years working on board yachts. He then spent time in project management and over 4 years in recruitment, working for an industry leading recruitment agency, in both onboard and shoreside recruitment.

Since joining TWW Yacht Management he has continued developing our team, our partnerships and our internal personnel operations, with his knowledge and expertise both onboard and ashore proving invaluable.

As we look to the future, Glen is focused on ensuring we are acquiring the best talent and skill sets. Utilising new technologies and innovative recruitment strategies, to ensure we have the team in place to continue delivery of our outstanding service and standards.

Elliot Bishop

Director, Bargate Murray

Described in Spears 500 as a “Distinguished Individual”, Elliot is a highly motivated individual, technically adept, with extensive commercial experience, who sees the “big picture” with ease. Analytical and pragmatic, he is known to facilitate innovative and efficient solutions to complex issues.

Elliot is well known in the marine sector and has acted in multi-jurisdictional litigation on behalf of major banks and insurers in respect of policy coverage issues and international enforcement of loan security against pleasure boats and superyachts. In addition, he has considerable experience of charter disputes and dealing with disputed commission payments arising out of the sale and purchase of vessels.

Notable cases include a safe port claim which resulted in a successful outcome for the client following a five day Admiralty Court trial, and a more recent win on behalf of a bank seeking to enforce a personal guarantee.

He has also acted for claimants and defendants in a broad range of marine related personal injury litigation from fast track through to catastrophic injury claims both in the UK and overseas including dealing with a claim by a minor rendered tetraplegic by an accident on board a private yacht in Portuguese territorial waters.

Elliot also has experience in dispute resolution in the art world, relating to defective title, provenance and attribution. He works closely with colleagues in advising artists on their moral rights and copyright of their work, protecting their brand and reputational issues.  He is also a Freeman of the City of London.

Mike Wimbridge

Global Superyacht Lead, Managing Director Pantaenius UK Ltd

Mike is Global Superyacht Lead for the Pantaenius group and also Managing Director for their UK offices.

His yacht insurance career spans over 35 years where he has been both an insurance broker and an underwriter.

Mike has worked for much of his career in Lloyd’s of London, including spells with Marsh, AIG, BRIT and Markel.

Jonathan Turner

Managing Director, Maritime Aviation

Sarah Allan

Partner and Head of Yachts Team, Penningtons Manches Cooper

Fiona Milsom ACII

Chartered Insurance Broker, Managing Director, Zis Bespoke Insurance

Nicola Kingman

Yacht Syndicate Manager, Shipowners’ P&I Club

Nicola is a Liability underwriter and manager of the yacht syndicate at the Shipowners’ P&I Club, where she has worked since 1999.  During her time at Shipowners’, Nicola has worked on a wide range of accounts in many different areas of the world, including, but not limited to, USA, Canada, Europe, India, Middle East and the Baltics. 

For a number of years Nicola was the underwriter for the East Coast Canadian business, handling a variety of commercial accounts in areas such as energy/offshore, passenger ferries, tourist excursion boats, tugs and barges and yachts.  In addition to the Canadian business, Nicola also handled a number of yacht accounts through various insurance brokers based throughout Europe.

In 2014, the Shipowners’ P&I Club created a dedicated yacht team with its own branding under the name Yachtowners.  Nicola heads up a team of 9, providing cover to nearly 4,000 yachts worldwide.  The creation of the Yachtowners’ team was born out of the significant growth of this area of the business and the clear need to provide a high level of service to the yacht industry.

Nicola has also been involved in creating a number of comprehensive liability-based products under the Yachtowners branding, including the Yacht Pre-Delivery Liability Policy, Yacht Legal Costs Cover Policy and Enhanced Crew Personal Accident Policy. 

During her time at Shipowners’, Nicola has obtained a Diploma in Superyacht Operations, reinforcing her excellent understanding of day-to-day yacht operations.

Simon Schofield,

CTO, Bar Technologies

David Kendall

CEO, Optima Projects Limited & Optima Yachts Ltd, UK

David commenced his career as an Aeronautical Engineer being responsible for the design of composite structures within civil and military aircraft. 

For the last 25 years David has owned and run several companies specialising in FRP Composites Engineering with a particular interest in the marine industry. 

For the last 4 years David has been developing a new range of ultra-efficient electric boats for leisure and commercial applications with plans to bring these to market in 2024.

Dan Hook

CEO, RAD Propulsion

Dan Hook is a Chartered Naval Architect and has spent most of his career in the Maritime Robotics sector. After finishing University in Southampton he principally worked on high performance vessel design for rescue, defence and passenger applications. He was then a co-founder of ASV Ltd which went on to become one of the world leading developers of uncrewed boats. This company grew from 2 people in a garage to over 130 before selling to a multinational business – L3 Harris. Since then Dan has had roles as CTO of Ocean Infinity, a director and trustee of the National Oceanography Centre and founder of RAD. He now focusses on the development of tech to support boat builders and operators build smarter boats.

Maria Parry

Shoreside Consultant, Wilson Halligan

Maria is a dedicated talent consultant in Shoreside Maritime and Hospitality within the UHNW industry.

With a focus on assisting ex-yachties transition ashore, she excels in matching their passions with the perfect opportunities.

Maria is committed to finding the best talent and helping individuals achieve their career goals in the shore-based sector.

Chloe Kendall

Co-Founder, Optima Yachts

Ian McLaren MBE

International Trade Advisor, Dept for Business & Trade

Currently I am the Maritime Lead within the Southern Region of the Department of Business and Trade.  I migrated from the Department for International Trade when it moved into DBT doing a similar appointment.  I cover from Kings Lynn south to Dover and as far west as the Scilly Isles, embracing Cheltenham, Bristol, Exeter and the Solent in the round.  

My family were major shareholders in John Browns so joining the Royal Navy in 1975 seemed a natural move. At BRNC I was given a gorgeous Morgan Giles 41’ to race with success; slow into the wind but swift with the wind behind her. Unfortunately, I had to go to sea and spent much time in action in The Falklands Crisis, in the Middle East, the First Gulf War and the Balkans. I was awarded the MBE in Her Majesty’s Birthday Honours in 1996.

From the Royal Navy I helped set up and run BlueFinger producing the Fishing Vessel Plot for DEFRA and 37 countries globally. When BlueFinger was acquired, I moved to the Cabinet Office where I was the Counter Piracy Adviser during the Gulf of Aden challenge. As this abated in 2012, I joined Kongsberg as Head of Sales into the Middle East. I tried to retire from Kongsberg in 2019, but DIT convinced me to join them and to help out with Export Sales within UK’s Maritime Sector in 2020.

I speak Kalijee Arabic, and reside in Badminton, South Gloucestershire.