IYBA appoints Andrew Parkinson as executive director

The International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA) has appointed Andrew Parkinson as executive director. He took up the role in late September and is based at the association’s headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Parkinson has more than 20 years of experience in brand, content and organisational leadership. His background also includes work as a licensed yacht broker and dealer with Merritt Yacht Brokers and Denison Yachting.

“We are happy to have found a yachting industry professional with Andrew’s depth of character, leadership experience and wealth of industry knowledge to fill the role of IYBA executive director,” says Bob Saxon, IYBA vice president. “Our association is expanding both in membership and relevance to our industry, thanks in part to our robust new digital services suite, and we know Andrew is the right person to guide IYBA as we continue to grow.”

Most recently, Parkinson was editorial director of the Sail Group at Firecrown Media, as well as editor-in-chief and head of brand at Cruising World. While there, he oversaw Cruising World’s move from a print publication to a multichannel business, launching digital products and building the team and workflows to support them. He previously held editorial leadership roles at Passagemaker, Yachts International and Southern Boating.

“I am delighted to welcome Andrew to the role of IYBA executive director and look forward to working with him as we continue to expand our association’s many valuable tools and benefits for members and the industry as a whole,” says IYBA chief operating officer Paul Flannery.

Parkinson grew up on the southern Connecticut shoreline, where he learnt to sail 420s and Flying Juniors through his high school sailing club and cruised Long Island Sound with his family aboard a Hunter 31. He moved to South Florida in 2003. He lives there with his wife and three children and continues to spend time on the water, sailing and powerboating.

“The yachting industry is changing quickly, and I think IYBA is well placed to help brokers everywhere meet that change,” Parkinson says. “I’ve spent my career helping organisations grow into what their audiences need them to be next, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to help guide that growth for IYBA. I’m honoured to lead the association into its next chapter, and I’m looking forward to working with our members, board and staff to shape it together.”

Founded in 1987, IYBA has more than 2,000 individual members representing over 900 businesses. It was established to promote professionalism and cooperation among yacht brokers and maintain standards of conduct in brokerage transactions.

Members must follow a code of ethics designed to protect the public against fraud, misrepresentation or unethical practices. They are also expected to work to eliminate practices that could harm the public or the integrity of the yacht brokerage profession.