Five minutes with d’Albora Marine CEO Matt Walford

Nautilus Marine Insurance caught up with the CEO of D’Albora Marine to chat about the brokerage business, international boat shows and his personal passion for boating

What are your earliest on-water memories?

I have always enjoyed the water. When I was young, we had a small aluminium boat with an outboard. I used to run that on the river, fishing and exploring. I believe my passion for boating all started from there.

Are you a power or sail person? Or both?

Personally, I’m a power boat person but I do enjoy the odd sail, as long as there is someone else more capable at sailing than me onboard.

Tell us about your role as CEO of d’Albora Marine.

The primary focus of my role is supporting our brokerage team and managing and developing the requirements of our platform. I’m an active broker myself. So, a day will typically involve work on my listings and those of the team and making decisions around marketing and new initiatives.

What do you love most about your role?

On a personal level, I enjoy the relationships I’ve built with our team and clients. I’ve also enjoyed building d’Albora Marine from its infancy, seeing the business and team culture grow. The learning and advisory aspects that come from working within such an innovative industry are also rewarding.

Talk us through the d’Albora Marine business.

Within a brokerage business we provide sales and purchase services. The purchase service includes domestic vessels but is more often in relation to vessels located overseas. We travel globally so that we can represent the global inventory better and provide a more informed type of advisory to our clients. Many members of our team have worked in the large yacht space overseas.

How long have you been involved with the marine industry?

I started selling boats 20 years ago. After the financial crisis I worked with Austal Oceanfast in a global role focusing on new builds and refits of vessels ranging from 40 to 130 metres. I have mostly been in more rounded commercial and sales roles since then and enjoy building businesses and selling boats.

Tell us about the d’Albora Marine approach to customer service and how it aligns with the levels of service boat owners can expect across the d’Albora marina network.

We have always been very big on how we do our business so that we provide a consistent and high level of service. This means everything from the brokers we hire, the setup of our sales and marketing platform, as well as our back-end processes. As a group, d’Albora is very focused on customer service and support and we pride ourselves on offering the same levels of customer service across our entire network.

What makes for a great boat buying experience?

We place a huge value on doing the simple things well. Buyers want to work with someone who is helpful, experienced and knowledgeable, and to move through the transaction in a straightforward manner. We believe if we do these things well the buyer will have a good experience.

You recently attended the Cannes Yachting Festival, do you regularly attend international boat shows? Yes, we attend the show each year to view the abundance of new and second-hand vessels showcased, enhance our knowledge, and to continue to build our relationships with international industry colleagues and service providers. If we have clients attending, we will show suitable boats to them and we’ll also look for boats for those who cannot attend. A significant number of Australians attend international boat shows and it’s something we highly recommend to buyers looking for vessels up to 50 metres in length.

Did you notice any boat design trends or innovations among the exhibitors at the Cannes Yachting Festival?

In relation to larger boats, there seems to be a shift away from speed and a move towards medium speed, with great emphasis on practicality, use of space and further connectivity with the sea. On top of this, there continues to be innovations focused around building more environmentally friendly boats. This includes developments such as hybrid propulsion systems but also includes things such as alternatives for teak decking and even recycled fishing nets being used for carpets.

What advice would you have for someone considering a career in the marine industry?

I’m a big believer in doing something you’re passionate about. Like with any industry, I’d encourage anyone interested in the marine industry to speak to professionals who have long-term experience, to help guide you about how best to start.

Visit dalboramarine.com.au

About Nautilus Marine Insurance

Nautilus Marine Insurance is a leading provider of insurance solutions for recreational vessels and marine business assets across Australia and New Zealand, protecting over 45,000 vessel owners and marine industry members. For over 19 years, Nautilus Marine Insurance has been a specialist supplier of insurance for pleasure craft and marine business assets and liability insurance. Nautilus Marine Insurance provide coverage for pleasure craft of all sizes, ranging from sailing dinghies and personal watercraft (PWCs) through to yachts, runabouts, and luxury motor yachts as well as commercially operated boats and marine businesses. Through its Industry Lines division, Nautilus Marine Insurance also specialises in providing tailored business insurance for clients servicing the recreational boating market including marina operators and owners, yacht clubs and boat clubs, boat dealerships and most marine trades including boat repairers and boat service providers. Thousands of professional insurance advisers and brokers choose to work with Nautilus Marine Insurance. These insurance experts trust the breadth of Nautilus Marine’s products and claims support to recommend our products and services to their clients. Nautilus Marine Insurance has a passionate team of over 90 staff and offices across Australia and New Zealand. Nautilus Marine Insurance is a business name of NM Insurance Pty Ltd, ABN 34 100 633 038, AFSL 227186. It has binding authority from Zurich Australian Insurance Limited (ZAIL) which allows it to enter into and arrange policies of insurance and handle and settle claims made under them. Visit nautilusinsurance.com.au to