Dominion Marine, one of the world’s leading superyacht ownership and management service providers, is entering a new era, with founder Chris Allix handing over the reins to his senior management team. The move marks 50 years in the business for Mr Allix, who helped to pioneer the yacht management industry in the Isle of Man. Simon Roberts, current Director & Head of Yachting for the Dominion Group, will become the new Managing Director with immediate effect, with Mr Allix retiring at the end of the year.
Mr Allix’s career began in September 1971 as a corporate and trust services specialist and 13 years later he set up Dominion Marine in the Isle of Man. A request by a client to register his yacht fundamentally changed the direction of the company and marked the first superyacht registration in the Island. In the late eighties, the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers’ Association approached Dominion, expressing concerns that many yachts were not being properly registered and as a result, Mr Allix worked alongside the IOM Ship Registry to implement the very first commercial yacht code resulting in Dominion registering the first commercial yacht in the Isle of Man.
Today Dominion Marine has particular expertise in corporate ownership solutions for superyachts based worldwide, along with its market leading crew management division which is operated out of Jersey. The company has managed thousands of yachts over the years and currently has 100+ of the world’s most prestigious superyachts under management, making the Isle of Man a globally recognised centre of excellence in the sector.
My retirement will introduce a new generation of management, said Mr Allix. I have worked with Simon for 12 years now and am confident that under his strategic leadership Dominion Marine can only go from strength to strength. This move will give me more time to pursue other ideas and similar interest’s which I am really looking forward to.
Simon, who has over 20 years’ experience in the corporate and maritime industry, commented:
I am delighted to take over the management of the Dominion Marine global group of companies. Whilst I believe we lead the way in the corporate ownership and crew management solutions in the yachting industry, what really sets us apart is the dedication of our experienced staff, whose personalised client focused approach is second to none. Furthermore, the strategic plans we have are already being implemented, so the future is very exciting indeed.
