Sunseeker appoints Christian Marti as new chief executive

British yacht builder Sunseeker International has announced the appointment of Christian Marti as its new chief executive.

The yard confirmed the news during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (31^st October – 4^th November), with Marti joining the company later this month. His appointment comes after previous chief executive Phil Popham resigned from his position in September.

Marti joins Sunseeker from the automotive industry, where he has recently occupied the chief sales officer and vice president roles at Aston Martin Lagonda. His CV also lists Jaguar Land Rover and McLaren Automotive as previous employers.

John Zeng, representative of parent company Dalian Wanda, commended Marti for his “impressive and proven track record of growing the financial performance of major manufacturing businesses and a strong affinity for global luxury brands.”

He continued, “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.”

Discussing his appointment, Marti noted, “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.”

The news follows the announcement that Sunseeker was moving into metal-built superyachts for the first time, in collaboration with Dutch yard Icon Yachts. Its new flagship superyacht, the Sunseeker 161, is already under construction and is set to launch in 2021.

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