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Meet the Ocean Independence Team: Cordy Oakes-Ash
In the hectic run-up to the Monaco Yacht Show, we stole a precious half hour of calm to meet with Ocean Independence's Cordy Oakes-Ash, who shared her experience of working as a charter broker for one of the industry’s largest brokerage houses.
Still gleaming from her 2021 refit, the sunny aft deck of 55m Benetti OCEAN PARADISE - complete with Zen-garden inspired rattan seating - made for the perfect tranquil spot to meet with Cordy on an otherwise chaotic Monday before the Monaco Yacht Show.
Counting amongst its team more years of marine expertise than any other brokerage company, Ocean Independence’s prize asset is its people. Putting a friendly face to an industry powerhouse, Cordy shared her experience of working as a charter broker over the years.
First dipping her toes into the industry as chief stewardess, Cordy explains how years of crew experience lent themselves perfectly to the demands of charter broker: “You have to be extremely organised as chief stewardess to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect for the clients when they come onboard, and have a very strong attention to detail as well.”
For Cordy, being a charter broker is more than just a profession. Taking genuine pride in delivering on client’s dreams, no two days working to the high standards of Ocean Independence staff are the same.
“The most unusual charter request I ever received was for a client who had a dog and wanted to bring the dog onboard the boat,” Cordy laughed, “It also turned out they wanted to have a separate itinerary for the dog, and we had to organise play dates with other dogs - quite unusual, but all went okay!”
After years of curating bespoke charter itineraries for clients - both furry and otherwise - we were curious to know Cordy’s insight into what is the most important factor behind a great charter.
“You can have the most pristine, brand new yacht, but the crew have to be up to speed to make the charter successful,” she explains. Professional, dynamic, can-do attitudes are par for the course for crew - and a well-maintained boat doesn’t hurt either!
Stay tuned for the next video of our ‘Meet the Team’ series in partnership with Ocean Independence, in which we meet experienced sales broker and director Jeremy Comport.
"It also turned out they wanted to have a separate itinerary for the dog, and we had to organise play dates with other dogs..."
"It also turned out they wanted to have a separate itinerary for the dog, and we had to organise play dates with other dogs..."
Cordy Oakes-Ash, Charter Broker