Hill Robinson opens office in Australia's yachting hot spot
by Clare Wray 1 Apr 2019 02:14 PDT
Gold Coast Broadwater aerial view © Clare Wray
The booming Asia Pacific marine sector has prompted global yachting powerhouse Hill Robinson Yacht Management to open its first office in the Southern Hemisphere on Australia's spectacular Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast has always been Australia's favourite playground and a magnet for tourists with 300 days of sunshine a year, an exciting calendar of events and incredible natural assets. Increasingly superyacht crew are being attracted to the city to make the most of their downtime and access the world-class superyacht facilities in the city's thriving 250-hectare dedicated marine precinct.
The new Hill Robinson office - located at the iconic Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard (GCCM) in the heart of the precinct - is perfectly positioned to service the regions growing superyacht fleet. GCCM is the largest refit and repair facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere and indeed, one of the largest in the world. The combination of great service facilities and high quality marine trades in the precinct made it the natural fit for the Hill Robinson brand.
The office will be headed up by Donna Murray who has a full range of experience in all facets of yacht management in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. Donna is also a Global Recruitment Manager for Hill Robinson overseeing the expanding HRCrew division which now includes 4 offices worldwide.
"Having lived and worked in Europe and the Middle East, I am very excited to see the continuing growth and exploration of the yachting industry in the Asia Pacific region which has so much to offer. I am very proud to head up our new office at GCCM and look forward to bringing the global expertise and resources of Hill Robinson down under," said Donna Murray
Hill Robinson joins a host of other leading brands who have selected GCCM as their Australian headquarters including Superyacht Solutions, Volvo Penta, International Paints, Seal Superyachts and Mercury.
"Hill Robinson are global leaders in yacht management, and we are delighted that they can see the growing strength of the South Pacific region as an emerging Superyacht hotspot. We are proud that they have recognised the world-class facilities and services at GCCM and chosen to open their official Australian headquarters here onsite," said GCCM CEO Trenton Gay.
"Our purpose at GCCM is to bring the best of the Australian marine industry together in order to make the experience of owning and running a yacht more hassle-free and enjoyable. Having Donna and the entire Hill Robinson team here onsite to offer their expertise and support in all areas of yacht management aligns perfectly to our vision. Both companies share a strong customer focus and we are united in our passion to raise the bar in the yachting industry and to provide premium quality outcomes," he said.
GCCM recently revealed plans to nearly double in size with a Stage 2 expansion valued in excess of $100 million which will increase its marine re-fit lifting capacity by 400%. The facility has been growing exponentially each year with in excess of 80 marine businesses now operating on site, employing over 700 of Australia's most highly skilled marine contractors.