Today, Australia remains one of the company’s most strategically important markets, contributing significantly to Burgess’ international sales pipeline and project activity.

Flying in from the UK for the occasion was Burgess CEO Jonathan Beckett, joined by Senior Partner and Director Richard Lambert, and Chris Santon, Head of Burgess, Australia, reinforcing the importance of the Sydney celebration within the company’s global anniversary programme. Their presence underscored Australia’s standing within the Burgess network – not as a peripheral market, but as a long-established contributor to the company’s international sales, charter and new-build activity.

For Beckett in particular, the visit carried personal significance. Now marking 45 years with the business, his career arc has mirrored the rise of Burgess itself, from a 22-year-old broker working on commission only to the long-serving CEO of one of the most influential superyacht companies in the world.

“For clarity,” Beckett told guests with trademark humour, “I haven’t been on this journey for the full 50 years – only the past 45.”

Before turning to the company’s extraordinary history, Beckett opened the evening with personal thanks to the partners who helped shape the celebration. He acknowledged Ocean Media for its long-standing relationship with the brand, recognised Benetti through its Australian representative Matt Walford, and thanked Bulgari for lending its unmistakable elegance to the night.

Most importantly, however, his gratitude was directed to the Australian clients in the room.

You really are our very best and nicest clients,” Beckett said. “And we look forward to another 50 years of visiting Australia – meeting you here and looking after your yachting interests. We simply can’t do this without you.”

The Burgess story began far from the glamour of today’s superyacht world. On 13 March 1975, Nigel Burgess and his wife Verity founded Nigel Burgess Ltd in London, working from a loaned apartment above a Jamaican restaurant in Harcourt Street. The company car was a Mini. The yachts considered “large” measured just over 50 feet in length.

It was a different era. There were no computers, no mobile phones, no digital systems and no global yacht databases. Deals were built through printed photographs, telex machines and personal trust. Yet even then, the foundations of what Burgess would become were forming – meticulous attention to detail, deep client relationships and an uncompromising professional standard.

By 1979, the company reached its first major global milestone with the sale of the 57-metre Majestic M – then one of the largest yachts in the world and, at US$ 4.5 million, the biggest brokerage deal ever completed at the time. Burgess had arrived on the international stage, though never forgetting where it had started.

In 1981, 22-year-old Jonathan Beckett joined the company on a salary of just £3,000 a year. His early days bore little resemblance to the scale of today’s global transactions. He cut yacht photographs from magazines to build sales files and attach to specifications, made the coffee, cleaned the car, and held bags of coins at payphones while Nigel called overseas clients – learning the business from the ground up, one task at a time.

He was a stickler for detail,” Beckett recalled. “Suits and ties every day, even in summer. Black or red pen only. Never write on the back of paper. No receipt – no reimbursement. It was a great way to learn.”

One of Beckett’s early experiences came in 1982, when Burgess received an enquiry for Feadship’s 53-metre Kalinga, listed at US$ 11 million – an extraordinary sum at the time. With no budget for flights, the duo drove across Europe in a Peugeot 504 to meet the prospective owner. They didn’t win the deal – but the journey became an early lesson in persistence, ingenuity and the long game that would come to define the Burgess culture.

In 1983, Burgess took on a modest 100-square-foot office in Empire House at 175 Piccadilly – just enough space for one desk, a filing cabinet, a telex machine and a single folding chair for visiting clients.

“That tiny office,” Beckett recalled, “including rent, insurance, travel, phone bills, the telex machine – and including my salary – cost £36,000 a year to run. Nigel looked at me and said, ‘That’s a lot of money you have to make just to break even.’”

That same year, Beckett completed his first yacht sale – a well-worn 72-foot steel motor yacht named Secuta II. She sold for US$65,000, earning a Burgess commission of just US$2,500.

“Nigel bought me a bottle of Champagne,” Beckett said. “It became a symbolic tipping point in my career. I was out of the starting blocks.”

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Burgess cemented its reputation as the world’s leading superyacht brokerage. In 1987 came one of the most famous transactions in yachting history – the sale of the 86-metre Nabila, built for Adnan Khashoggi, pledged to the Sultan of Brunei and ultimately sold to Donald Trump for US$ 30 million. That transaction directly led to the creation of Burgess Yacht Management, formed to manage what is now known as Kingdom 5-KR – still under Burgess management 38 years later.

Yet alongside success came profound loss. In November 1992, founder Nigel Burgess died tragically while competing in the Vendée Globe – the world’s most demanding solo ocean race. At the time, Burgess was a team of just seven. Four of those original team members are still with the company today – a powerful testament to the loyalty and resilience that define the brand.

Following Nigel’s death, Verity Burgess remained closely involved with the business at board level, continuing a direct Burgess family presence within the company’s governance for more than three further decades. Her final remaining shares were formally bought out only months ago, bringing to a close a continuous 50-year family shareholding that spanned the company’s entire founding era. Despite stepping back formally as a shareholder, Verity remains close with Beckett – a relationship built on decades of mutual trust, shared hardship and shared success.

Following Nigel’s death, Beckett stepped into ownership under intense financial pressure, managing instalment buy-outs, borrowed funds and a company that, at times, teetered on the edge.

It wasn’t always plain sailing,” he said. “There were periods when every phone call felt like it could be the last. But we survived because of our people.”

In 1993, the business was formally valued, and Beckett took the decisive step to buy a further 77 percent of Burgess from Nigel’s widow, Verity Burgess, for £380,000 – leaving her with a remaining three percent shareholding that she would hold until just months ago. It was a pivotal moment, but one that came with enormous personal risk.

“I didn’t have £380,000,” Beckett admitted. “I asked for instalment payments. I got three – and I missed one of them.”

To make the deal work, he mortgaged and then re-mortgaged his house. He borrowed from friends. He carried six credit cards, each pushed to the limit, keeping one card in reserve purely to juggle the next payment demand.

“It really was a card game for many months,” he said.

The early months following the buy-out were brutal. Not only did the business run out of cash – it owed significant sums. Cheques were written but left unsigned. Invoices were filed instead of being paid. For an entire year, virtually no meaningful business was done.

“I would wake up every morning thinking, ‘You read about people like me in the newspaper,’” Beckett recalled. “Every time the phone rang, you feared it would be the final call.”

Then, almost without warning, the tide turned.

Like standing at a London bus stop for hours waiting for the Number 14, suddenly three deals arrived at once,” he said. “And just like that, we were up and running again.”

It was a turning point born not of comfort, but of sheer resilience – one that fundamentally shaped the Burgess culture that followed.

This was also the time Australia formally entered the Burgess story. In 1993, the company secured its first Australian clients, Reg and Joy Grundy, legendary TV pioneers, with the sale of Reverie Rose, a 105-foot Benetti, followed by the 145-foot Idolwood and later the iconic 70-metre Amels Boadicea. That first visit marked the beginning of Beckett’s long-standing personal connection to Australia.

By the early 2000s, Australia was contributing around 10 percent of Burgess’ global business. Beckett began visiting two to three times a year, and Australian owners became central players in some of the most significant global yacht builds of the era.

Few companies in the history of yachting can claim the technical legacy of Burgess. From the sale of the revolutionary Maltese Falcon to the delivery of some of the largest yachts ever built, Burgess Technical Services has shaped projects that redefined the boundaries of design and engineering.

The defining moment came in 2013 with the delivery of the 180.6-metre Azzam – still the world’s largest motor yacht by length – with Burgess acting as technical consultant and project manager from a blank page to completion.

“Azzam is not just a Burgess landmark,” Beckett said. “She is a landmark for the entire industry.”

Soon, even that record may fall to the 194.9-metre REV Ocean, another Burgess project destined to reshape expectations of scale, sustainability and scientific capability.

Despite its vast international footprint, Burgess remains deeply personal at its core. During his Sydney speech, Beckett revealed that 24 staff across the company are direct family relations – siblings, parents and children working side-by-side. His own son, Ed Beckett, joined the company in 2013.

Longevity defines the Burgess workforce. More than 20 team members have served for over 20 years; six have exceeded 30 years; and many more have reached the decade mark. In an industry often defined by movement, Burgess is defined by loyalty.

In 2020, Burgess launched its Blue Oceans initiative in partnership with the Blue Marine Foundation, formalising the company’s commitment to ocean conservation. All funds raised go directly to marine protection projects in key yachting destinations. Today, Burgess Blue Oceans is one of the most influential sustainability programmes in global yachting.

In its 50th anniversary year, Burgess is not slowing – it is accelerating. A new flagship office has opened in Palm Beach, Florida, and a significant strategic chapter has begun through outside investment from Ancient Capital.

The partnership has been carefully structured to support Burgess’ next phase of global growth while preserving leadership continuity, brand independence and long-term vision.

“For me personally, I remain a shareholder in Burgess, and I will stay as CEO. I have absolutely no interest in retiring,” Beckett said.

“We have done well so far, but what I really feel is that we have only just arrived at the start line. From here is where we can really get going.”

He added, “This was never about selling out – it was about setting the company up properly for the next 50 years. We wanted a partner who understands long-term vision, not short-term gain, and Ancient Capital shares that outlook.”

As the evening wound down, owners, clients and long-time friends lingered over shared history, fresh ideas, and what lies ahead. The mood carried a note of nostalgia, but it was equally energised – a reflection of a company that honours its past without ever standing still.

“I love this company,” Beckett concluded. “And I love Australia. So here’s to the next 50 years of going yachting together.”

burgessyachts.com.au

 

50 Years of Key Milestones

1975

Nigel Burgess and his wife Verity found Nigel Burgess Ltd in London.

1976

Kate Bradshaw becomes Burgess’ first employee, later serving more than 40 years.

1979

Sale of the 57-metre Majestic M for US$ 4.5 million.

1981

Jonathan Beckett joins the company aged 22.

1982

First major Feadship listing – the 53-metre Kalinga.

1987

Sale of the 86-metre Nabila to Donald Trump for US$ 30 million.

1992

Founder Nigel Burgess dies tragically while competing in the Vendée Globe.

1993

First Australian clients Reg and Joy Grundy purchase a 105-foot Benetti.

1998

Burgess opens its first US office in Fort Lauderdale.

2001

Burgess becomes the first yacht brokerage to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Sells the 160-metre Platinum (now Dubai), then the world’s largest private motor yacht.

2004

Burgess opens its New York office.

2009

Sale of the iconic 88-metre sailing yacht Maltese Falcon. Burgess signs the build contract for the 180.6-metre Azzam project with Lürssen.

2010

Opening of the Burgess

Los Angeles office.

2013

Launch and delivery of the 180.6-metre Azzam, still the world’s largest motor yacht by length. Jonathan Beckett’s son Ed joins the company.

2015

Burgess Asia opens in Singapore and Hong Kong.

2016

Middle East expansion with the opening of Burgess Dubai. Delivery of the 156-metre Dilbar.

2018

Burgess Yachts opens the Australian office in Sydney, led by Chris Santon.

2019

Launch of the Burgess Global Partnership programme recognising long-term staff commitment.

2020

Burgess Blue Oceans is founded in partnership with the Blue Marine Foundation.

2024

Burgess opens the world’s first superyacht office at altitude in Aspen, Colorado.

2025

Burgess celebrates its 50th anniversary, opens a new flagship office in Palm Beach, Florida, and secures strategic investment from Ancient Capital.

2025

Verity Burgess’ remaining shares are formally bought out, concluding a continuous 50-year Burgess family shareholding.