A DECADE. BUT WHO’ S COUNTING?
Over a beer in 2013, one of my close friends said, “isn’t it time you did your own thing?”. I had literally never given it a thought as I’d been so focused on selling yachts. But with the seed planted, I couldn't shake it.
All the frustrations of being part of a big business could be banished in a heartbeat. I could focus my attention on my best clients and not waste time on internal politics. So, from the dining table in my flat, Cecil Wright & Partners was born.
From the outset my plan was simple: to look after a select number of clients as well as I possibly could. Make it about them, their families, and their yachts. Not about me and my business. I wouldn’t need to worry about spending time and money on branding as my clients already knew me. I thought, if I do a good job, they’ll recommend me to their 10 friends. That was the model.
My mantra quickly became "fewer clients, served better" and it remains the most distilled and potent expression of our approach.
Clients, shipyards, senior crew and, most importantly, our brokerage colleagues now regard us a reliable ally in the business of large yachts. The number of deals we transact has grown and so, inevitably, our business has grown. But it is steady organic growth to meet demand, not simply for the sake of growth.
Our expansion into Charter Central Agency management was in response to regular requests from our clients. It’s been a speedy ascent and I’m proud to announce here that we have just signed the magnificent, brand-new, 122m KISMET to our fleet. We now manage 12 charter yachts and I see this department becoming even more essential to our offer in the future.
However, beyond the vessels and transactions, it is the people – our dedicated team – who truly define our identity. They're not just colleagues; they're friends. There’s a great sense of fun and purpose in the office where every person brings their own expertise and energy. We communicate 24/7 over a myriad of WhatsApp groups. Some are totally private and deal related, others are group chats about market intelligence and others are inevitably sports related. It’s communication that counts and our team is good at it.
Looking back on the last 10 years, it's rewarding to see what we've built together. We’ve embraced technology to help us gather and share the data our clients need to make the best decisions; and looking forward, technology becomes even more important, as artificial intelligence helps us further with analysis, but in this era of virtual interactions, we've made it our mission to be 'real'. Cecil Wright is run by real people with really useful connections and real expertise. And that's something we’re proud of.
