Poole: Sunseeker international appoints Christian Marti as new CEO

Britain’s biggest boat builder Sunseeker International, has today announced that Christian Marti will join the business as chief executive officer in November, replacing Phil Popham who left the business at the end of September to take up a new challenge.

Marti joins Sunseeker from Aston Martin Lagonda where he held the position of chief sales officer and vice-president. Having worked within the automotive industry for over 25 years he brings with him over 18 years of senior management experience across European and Asian markets with premium luxury brands such as Jaguar Land Rover and McLaren Automotive. During his time at Aston Martin, he was a significant part of the executive team that transformed the iconic British brand into the successful business it is today.

John Zeng, Dalian Wanda’s board representative for Sunseeker commented: “We are delighted to welcome Christian to Sunseeker International. He has an impressive and proven track record of growing the financial performance of major manufacturing businesses and a strong affinity for global luxury brands. Christian joins us at a crucial time for Sunseeker as we move into our next phase of growth and I have no doubt he will help us build upon the incredible work already undertaken by the team in achieving a remarkable business turnaround in record time.”

Commenting on his appointment, Marti said: “I am delighted to be joining Sunseeker at such an exciting time. The business has recently embarked on a five-year growth strategy and the company is sitting on its strongest ever order book with continued investment in new product and facilities at the heart of the business plan. I look forward to working with the Sunseeker team on the future opportunities to grow this already outstanding, world-famous luxury brand.”

It is indeed an exciting time for Sunseeker which is looking to strengthen its position at the forefront of the global superyacht market with the announcement of a new larger flagship model, to launch in 2021.  The new 161 Yacht will also see the brand move into aluminium built vessels for the first time through a collaboration with renowned Dutch builder ICON Yachts.