MYS 2012: Interview with Jorg Buchen of Engel & Völkers

In different hands, the scale of their business – which spans four continents and also incorporates a yachting brokerage – may have created a faceless corporate behemoth with an impersonal approach to client relationships.

But at Engel & Völkers the very opposite is true, as this is a company that places customer relations at the cornerstone of what it stands for, and what it wants to achieve.

It was these values that Jorg Buchen, managing partner of Engel & Völkers, was keen to express when he sat down with Superyachts.com at the 22nd Monaco Yacht Show, which is taking place this week.

At the show he spoke to luxury director Shari Liu about the importance of providing clients with a close and personal service, the challenges of operating amidst a global economic crisis, and – in spite of the credit crunch – their plans for even further growth.

He also expressed his pleasure that most clients are happy to embrace local design styles, with many putting their new home into the hands of local architects and designers, rather than opting for styles from their native land.

Indeed, just as their clients are a broadminded in their attitudes to home-buying, so are Engel & Völkers when it comes to conjuring new ways to grow their business even further. The company plans to expand in the US and Europe, as well as in emerging markets, in the coming months and years.

You can view our exclusive video interview with Jorge Buchen above this article.