MYS 19: Hill Robinson Growing Through People

This year the leading international yacht management company opened new offices in both Australia and Italy, and Nick says the development is fuelled by the strength of their people and relationships. “The new offices on the Gold Coast in Australia are really led by people. Donna (Murray) and Lisa (Racourt) both live very near the Gold Coast and we have given them an office that’s primarily based on crew recruitment and the Australian market. In Italy, we have very good rapport with Mr Lotti, who owns the Porto Lotti marina. He gave us a good opportunity so we had an office there which is conveniently near the shipyards SanLorenzo, Perini and Baglietto.”

In addition to these two, Hill Robinson has also opened another office in Palme de Mallorca, meaning the yacht management company now has 13 international offices along with a portfolio of different subsidiaries, including Moravia Yachting in Monaco.

Turning attention to the state of the market, Nick was asked whether he sees a booming market. “From our perspective, yes it is,” Nick states. “The large market, most of the shipyards are doing very well, the big yards of course; Oceanco, Feadship, Lurssen, are all full. The boats here show the huge variety of design, from Excellence to some of the yachts anchored out, it does seem to be a booming market.”

Preparing for the future of the industry, Hill Robinson has invested well in its Aviation department. In response to the trend of larger vessels and proliferation of helicopters on yachts, Hill Robinson felt it necessary to provide a platform for the safe operation fo these aircraft. “We have ended up managing the pilots and the maintenance of the aircraft, and it’s not just helicopters it is also sea planes and Fixed-wing.”