The first yacht brokerage firm to ever receive the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise has sailed Down Under, and it’s here to stay.
Nigel Burgess’s namesake company is expanding to Australia and New Zealand with newly appointed Christoffer Santon at the helm.
“Australia and New Zealand are known around the world for their love of yachts and yachting – you only need to look at how many superyacht owners, captains and crew hail from this part of the world,” – Christoffer Santon
Founded in the UK, the firm will have a permanent home in Sydney, adding to the ever-popular luxury marine world.
“Australasia is extremely important to us as a company and personally I’m thrilled that we are opening for business in Sydney,” Burgess CEO Jonathan Beckett says. “Over the years, we have been involved with most of the iconic superyachts associated with this part of the world so the launch of our Australian operation, the 14th Burgess office worldwide, makes perfect sense for us.”
“We are dedicated to providing our world-class services to clients globally and will be able to do so even more effectively in this region now that we have a permanent base in Sydney.”
Santon, Head of Burgess in Australia, believes there is great synergy between his rich experience and the new superyacht offering.
“Australia and New Zealand are known around the world for their love of yachts and yachting – you only need to look at how many superyacht owners, captains and crew hail from this part of the world,” he says.
As the newest marine player settles into the fresh waters, here are three things you may not know about the global empire.
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The head of Burgess Australia was a successful captain
Santon may be keeping his feet on dry land for now, but before leading the business in Australasia, he spent 14 years as a captain of 50-metre yachts.
With an incredible sea career spanning 26 years, Santon has chartered the most popular destinations on the planet.
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The company was founded by a renowned sailor
Nigel Burgess established the business in 1975 while continuing life at sea as a worldwide single-handed ocean racer.
The British skipper slipped overboard three days into the 1992 Vendée Globe and his body was later washed up on a Spanish beach. His friend was also lost at sea in the Atlantic before the race began.
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Burgess sold Saddam Hussein’s yacht
As one of the leading yacht brokers on Earth, it’s little surprise Burgess was responsible for putting Saddam Haussein’s 82-metre superyacht up for sale in 2007.
Despite a French court temporarily freezing the sale, the vessel was sold for £17 million.
