Rupert Connor President

Rupert Connor is the Founder and President of Luxury Yacht Group LLC. He is a well-respected expert in the yachting industry who is actively involved in every aspect of operations within each area of the company.

Originally from Buckinghamshire, England, Rupert moved to the United States in 1999 after spending nine years at sea as a professional yacht captain. He logged many miles having completed multiple Atlantic and Pacific Ocean crossings and has transited both Suez and Panama canals multiple times.

In 2001 Rupert saw the opportunity to build a leading yachting services company with a focus on understanding the best crew as most problems on yachts start with personnel. With consistent, heavy investment of human and technology resources, the company naturally built four departments; crew placement, yacht management, sales and charter.

"Merging into these other areas of business is a natural fit for our clients, whether they are owners or captains. Luxury Yacht Group knows crew. It's a fluid transition to onboard accounting or payroll services, or to assist owners with the sale or purchasing of a yacht. We have become a trusted resource, and it's the reason why so many of our clients have stayed with us for so long."

When asked about the direction of the company Rupert states, "At Luxury Yacht Group we are boutique enough for personalized, quality service, and large enough for superior results."

Over the years, the company has grown to have the highest number of crew on their books having registered over 120,000 professional crew. With over 2,000 active users online per day luxyachts is the busiest crew agency in the world. Having placed more professional seafarers in the industry than any of their competitors, the company has expanded worldwide with crew coordinators in cities across every time zone.

With his extensive knowledge of the seas and dedication to quality, Rupert and Luxury Yacht Group have become the "go to" resource for industry data and statistics, trends, surveys and change initiatives.

He has managed large yachts from 80m / 36 passenger SOLAS ISM certification all the way down to 65' sport fish. He thrives on finding value for owners in an industry that trends towards indifference with regards budgets.

As an industry authority, he is often quoted by major yachting publications such as Dockwalk, The Crew Report, The Triton and Power & Motoryacht. International media continues to take an interest in the business too with coverage by CNN, The Financial Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Economist, The New York Times, and NBC's "The Today Show."

Likewise, Rupert is invited to speak regularly on a variety of yachting topics. His previous presentations have included: Seatrade Miami, The Mariners Club, FYBA Charter Seminars, Project USA, Triton's Connection Show, Caribbean Shipping Association, and other numerous international venues. His qualifications and memberships are many:

• State of Florida Employing Yacht Broker License #4190
• Member - International Yacht Brokers Association IYBA (Former Chairperson FYBA Charter Professionals Committee)
• Former Board Member United States Superyacht Association
• Member of MENSA
• Member of USAT & USTA

Outside of the office, Rupert enjoys staying active by training for and competing in local triathlons and playing tennis. He has traveled the world to compete in events, completing Ironman Malaysia and Ironman UK. He is married with two children and lives in Fort Lauderdale.