Sanlorenzo Yachts UK has appointed Joe Hill as Senior Sales Broker and Brokerage Director, strengthening its new yacht sales and brokerage operation as the company looks to grow its presence in the UK large-yacht market.
Hill brings almost 30 years of marine industry experience to the role, spanning professional yacht captaincy, new yacht sales, brokerage and new-build projects.
He will officially join the business on 1 October 2026, primarily operating from Sanlorenzo Yachts UK’s London showroom on Park Lane in Mayfair.
The appointment forms part of the company’s wider strategy to increase its share of the UK market, with a particular focus on the 100ft-plus yacht sector.
Almost 30 years in the marine industry
Hill joins Sanlorenzo Yachts UK following 11 years with a British motor yacht manufacturer, where his work focused on luxury yacht sales and the large-yacht segment.
His career, however, began on the operational side of the industry.
Before moving into yacht sales and brokerage, Hill worked onboard yachts and spent several years as a professional captain.
That combination of operational and commercial experience is particularly relevant at the larger end of the yacht market, where clients face increasingly complex decisions around specification, construction, operation and ownership.
Hill’s experience also includes involvement in new-build projects, providing a background that extends beyond the initial yacht sale and into the broader ownership journey.
Focus on the 100ft-plus yacht market
Nick Hatfield, Managing Director of Sanlorenzo Yachts UK, said Hill’s experience in the luxury yacht market and his previous career as a captain would add further specialist knowledge to the company’s sales and brokerage operation.
He said:
“Joe is an important addition to our sales and brokerage operation.”
According to Hatfield, the appointment will support Sanlorenzo Yachts UK’s wider growth strategy as it looks to increase market share in the UK, particularly within the 100ft-plus sector.
The move is significant because larger-yacht sales increasingly demand a different level of client support.
At this end of the market, the sales process can extend well beyond choosing a model or agreeing a specification, encompassing design development, technical decisions, construction, delivery and ultimately the operational realities of yacht ownership.
Hill’s background as both a captain and yacht sales professional gives Sanlorenzo Yachts UK additional experience across both sides of that relationship.
Representing Sanlorenzo and Bluegame
In his new position, Hill will represent the full Sanlorenzo and Bluegame fleets while also working to expand the company’s brokerage offering within the larger-yacht sector.
Sanlorenzo Yachts UK is part of the Ancasta Group and represents the Italian shipyard’s yachts and superyachts across the UK and Ireland, alongside the Bluegame brand.
Hill will work with clients throughout the ownership process, from initial consultation and yacht selection through to Sanlorenzo’s collaborative design and build process.
That ‘co-creation’ approach is an important part of Sanlorenzo’s positioning within the yacht market, allowing owners significant input into the design and specification of their yacht.
Hill said he was looking forward to working with existing owners while also introducing new clients to the brand.
He described the appointment as an opportunity to bring his experience to a business with an established product portfolio and ambitions for further growth.
Brokerage becomes increasingly important
The appointment also highlights the growing importance of brokerage alongside new yacht sales.
Building a stronger brokerage capability allows a yacht business to maintain relationships with owners throughout a much longer ownership cycle.
A client selling an existing yacht may subsequently become a new-build customer, while an owner entering the market through brokerage can later progress into a larger or more customised yacht.
For manufacturers and dealers operating at the upper end of the market, maintaining those relationships across acquisition, ownership, resale and replacement can therefore be commercially significant.
Hill’s role spans both new yacht sales and brokerage, giving Sanlorenzo Yachts UK an opportunity to strengthen that connection.
London base for large-yacht clients
Hill will primarily operate from the company’s Park Lane showroom in Mayfair, London.
The location provides Sanlorenzo Yachts UK with a central presence for clients considering larger yachts while complementing its marine operations elsewhere in the UK.
Hill officially takes up the position on 1 October.
Boatbuilding News Analysis
This appointment is interesting because Sanlorenzo Yachts UK is being quite specific about where it sees the opportunity: the 100ft-plus market.
Joe Hill isn’t simply joining as another yacht broker.
His appointment combines new yacht sales, brokerage and experience from the operational side of yachting, including several years as a professional captain.
That experience can become increasingly valuable as yacht size and project complexity increase.
For clients buying larger yachts, the conversation is rarely just about aesthetics, accommodation and price. Crew requirements, technical specification, operational costs, build decisions and eventual resale can all become part of the buying process.
Having someone who has previously operated yachts as well as sold them therefore brings a different perspective to that relationship.
There is also a wider commercial point.
Bringing new yacht sales and brokerage closer together enables businesses to remain involved throughout more of the ownership lifecycle rather than concentrating solely on the point at which a new yacht is ordered.
Sanlorenzo Yachts UK’s decision to strengthen that capability suggests it sees further potential in the UK’s large-yacht client base.
The next measure will be how that strategy translates into brokerage listings, new-build activity and Sanlorenzo’s share of the UK 100ft-plus market.