INTERVIEW WITH FOUNDER OF CECIL WRIGHT & PARTNERS Chris Cecil-Wright

In this candid conversation, Chris reflects on the philosophy and personal drive behind building Cecil Wright into one of the industry’s most respected boutique yacht brokerage firms. From his belief in backing good people and specialising rather than scaling indiscriminately, to his views on motivation, technology, and the future of the market, he offers thoughtful insight into what it takes to build a focused, high-performing business — and why constant improvement, speed, and quality of information remain at the heart of everything he does.

Great to see you today, Chris. Could you tell me how you built the business you have today?

The truth is that the business built itself. I’ve never turned away someone who I thought had potential, but I’ve never been out actively looking for people either. There are always good people floating around the periphery of the industry, and when you’re willing to give them an opportunity, you tend to attract them.

At the end of the day, all we offer is information. You can’t supply all the information to all people all the time and still be reliable — that never sat well with me. I believed that having really good information about a smaller section of the market is far more honest and dependable.

If you look around, much of the real growth in this industry is coming from smaller, specialist businesses. The bigger firms aren’t necessarily getting bigger — there are simply more boutique firms emerging. That’s where I think the future lies.

What are your current goals and aspirations for the business?

I don’t think you ever feel your work is done. I never wake up thinking, “Right, that’s it — job finished.” There’s always something to improve.

Right now, one of the biggest challenges is understanding how we can harness AI. It’s clear we have to embrace it, and that’s an exciting prospect. We’re also upgrading our digital presence to create what I hope will be a market-leading website, alongside integrating a new CRM system over the coming months.

And beyond that, there’s the core of the business — selling yachts. That never stops. There’s nothing I enjoy more than following a deal through to completion.

So where do I see the future? Staying roughly the same size, but continually improving what we offer.

What motivates you, and how do you stay motivated?

If you ask an athlete what drives them, they might say winning a gold medal — but what really gets them up to train in the rain?

For me, it’s anxiety. The anxiety of failure.

I genuinely believe anxiety drives good salespeople. I can’t stand the thought that there’s a deal happening in my sector that I should be part of but I’m not. Of course, many deals happen that I know nothing about — wrong client, wrong yacht, wrong market — and that’s fine. But if it’s something in my wheelhouse and I miss it, it makes me feel physically sick.

That fear pushes me to keep improving systems, motivating the team, and driving the business forward.

What does an average day look like running Cecil Wright?

Have a late breakfast and go for a run — that’s the dream!

But in reality, the reason we’ve grown from just myself and my PA, Maria, to a team of around 25 is because we’ve built a business full of professionals who take ownership of their roles.

Whether it’s PR, finance, brokerage, or my UK PA Georgia, everyone runs their area exceptionally well. Ed Carrell, our Commercial Director, has also been a huge asset — I have complete confidence in our contracts and budgeting.

My role day-to-day is more about guidance than management. I don’t tell people what to do, which allows me to focus on what I enjoy most: selling yachts.

What makes Cecil Wright different?

Whether it truly makes us different or not, I’m not sure — but what I hope sets us apart is the speed and quality of our response.

Clients today expect fast, well-consed responses — whether they’re buying a yacht or a watch. If it takes longer than an hour, you’re probably out of the game. If it takes more than a day, you’ve definitely missed the opportunity.

If a client has a spare hour at lunchtime to discuss a charter and you can’t respond in that window, they’ve likely moved on. Clients want someone who understands them quickly, narrows the market, and delivers exactly what they need — fast.

You were in brokerage for many years with Camper & Nicholsons and Edmiston. Why did you set up Cecil Wright

I was able to make decisions in those businesses, but nothing would really happen unless the major shareholders fully bought in.

The only way to run a business the way I believed it should be run — keeping overheads down, focusing on larger deals, and not trying to be everything to everyone — was to do it myself.

It’s about fewer clients, better served.

I’ve built long-term relationships by responding instantly — even in the middle of the night. I’ll happily leave my phone on so I don’t miss an opportunity.

You’ve recently opened a new London office on Curzon Street in Mayfair. What does that represent for the business?

It’s a really exciting step for us.

Mayfair places us right at the centre of where many of our clients live and work, and it reflects the level of service and discretion we aim to provide. London has always been a global hub for yachting clients — not necessarily for the yachts themselves, but for the decision-making around them.

The new office gives us a natural meeting place where clients can drop in to discuss their next move — whether buying, selling, or chartering. It also helps us attract the right kind of people into the business — those who value a boutique approach but want to operate in a world-class environment.