IYC hosts annual Broker of the Year Ceremony to honor top brokers
The 2017 Broker of the Year Award ceremony was held in March 2018 at the historic Needham Estate in Fort Lauderdale, which provided a suitably luxurious backdrop for the evening’s festivities. Members of the IYC team gathered to celebrate a successful year in 2017 and guests of honour were the recipients of the ceremony’s coveted top awards. Mark Elliott was named Sales Consultant of the Year, Katya Grzeszczak was named Charter Consultant of the Year, and Debbie Webb was presented with a special award in honour of her 20 years of loyal service at IYC.
MARK ELLIOTT – IYC Sales Consultant of The Year 2017
Mark Elliott is a longstanding member of the superyacht industry, having worked as a prolific charter yacht captain before moving onshore, and is one of the best known names in the brokerage sector. “Receiving this award means so much; a lot of hard work, late hours, great clients, patience, strong dedicated team and strong market have all contributed,” he says. “I have a terrific assistant, a great support team at IYC, and great clients and peers in the industry making these deals come together for happy buyers and sellers.”
Mark's tagline “Let’s Go Yachting” sums up his approach, and over the years he has played an important role in matching owners with their perfect yachts and keeping them excited about yachting. “I love what I do and love helping others find their passion in yachting,” he says. Mark puts his success down to several factors, including his long experience as a captain, in depth knowledge of yachts and destinations, and opening offices in key yachting hubs to ensure IYC clients have invaluable easy access to round the clock support. Having been on the IYC team for 19 years, Mark is extremely passionate about the company and is proud to have witnessed its evolution over the years. “I have been here for 19 years, building IYC into what it is today starting the charter department and management department and more,” he says. “I was one of the original shareholders of the company and am proud to be its longest broker and on top again this year. I’m looking forward to an even better 2018.”
KATYA GRZESZCZAK – IYC Charter Consultant of The Year 2017
Only in her seventh year as a charter broker, Katya Grzeszczak has quickly grown to be one of the industry’s most respected charter brokers and her win of the ‘Charter Consultant of the Year’ award is testament to her work ethic, passion and skill. “It’s an honor and a privilege to have received such an award and it makes me proud and humbled that I was able to get from struggling to find my first charter client to receiving IYC’s top charter broker award in such short time,” she says. “I’m motivated to do better, to set new goals, to mentor young brokers green to the industry and intimidated by it just like I was only seven years ago.”
Katya reports that 2017 saw a healthy yachting market in both sales and charter, with the Med proving extremely busy, especially in the West Med and with growing interest in the East Med. She credits her success to in depth knowledge of the product, never missing a charter show or opportunity to experience a new charter yacht or destination, believing that firsthand experience of the details that make a charter trip unforgettable are imperative to crafting a custom experience for clients. “Work ethics are also important as in any sales oriented business - follow up skills, building relationships, providing highest level of service and honesty, ability to manage clients’ expectations are all important values”, she adds. Katya is proud to be a member of the IYC team. “IYC provides a great nourishing and inspiring environment for us brokers to succeed,” she says. “Our marketing team is second to none, our office assistants are all rock stars, our top management executives always care and ready to listen and our corporate culture is strong. It’s easy to strive in such community!”
DEBBIE WEBB – Long Term Service Award
Debbie Webb is the epitome of the brand loyalty culture that is cultivated within the IYC team and over her 20 years with IYC she has seen the company develop to become the market leading brokerage house it is today. “I’m very proud to be part of such an accomplished and talented team and to have had the privilege to be part of IYC's growth to what we are today,” says Webb. “I have seen the company grow to have 13 offices in nine countries, with over 100 experienced professionals from over twenty-three countries, who speak over 18 languages. That in itself is incredible! We are a strong, empowered, powerful global team.”
Debbie began her career in yachting in 1996, before joining IYC in 1998. In her role at IYC Debbie is the Chief Administrative Officer and HR Director for the US offices, playing an invaluable role in the daily running of the business and co-ordination of operations. “It is definitely an honor to be part of a team that supports and challenges each other, and to be a part of a company that puts integrity into everything we do,” she says. “I’m excited to see our company excel into the future.”
IYC congratulates its award winners and thanks its entire team for their combined efforts towards IYC’s success. Here’s to an even busier and more exciting 2018.
For more information on IYC’s range of services please contact the IYC office most convenient to you. IYC has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Miami, Nantucket, Great Lakes, Monaco, Greece, Russia, Croatia, Montenegro, Barcelona, Scandinavia and Malta. To contact an IYC office click here.