Ward & McKenzie Yacht Consultancy

What Ward & McKenzie Yacht Consultancy does

Ward & McKenzie Yacht Consultancy is a UK-based, privately held professional services firm founded in 1997 that provides independent yacht surveying, legal and conveyancing advisory, and build/refit project management services for large yachts, primarily in the 30m to 140m+ range. It serves four primary client segments: high-net-worth yacht buyers and owners, banks/finance/leasing companies, insurers/underwriters, and commercial yacht operators and shipyards, with the latter including named engagements on Royal Huisman and Feadship vessels. The firm also acts as an expert witness in arbitrations across England, Italy, France, Finland, and the English High Court, and is authorized by Red Ensign registries (UK, Cayman, BVI, Isle of Man) for tonnage measurement and by IIMS and YBDSA for MCA coding examinations.

The operating model is professional services on a per-engagement basis: survey fees are quoted per assignment based on vessel size, inspection scope, and complexity; legal/conveyancing work is advisory-based; and project management fees are scoped to build/refit duration and complexity. The firm has 11–50 employees, is led by Director and Principal Surveyor Chris Nicolle (15 years on the superyacht side) and Office Manager Liz Girling (24 years on registration and ownership), with founder Ian Collett retiring in July 2025. Delivery is coordinated through a UK headquarters in Curdridge, Southampton and a Palma associate office in Mallorca, supplemented by a global network of associated yacht surveyors that enables local-presence surveying worldwide. Marketing relies on yacht show presence (Cannes, Monaco, Southampton, Palma, London), industry conferences, Superyacht Investor commentary, and direct relationships and referrals.

Recent strategic activity has been organizational rather than expansive: in July 2025, co-founder Ian Collett retired and the business was restructured, with the continuing entity now operating as Ward & McKenzie Surveys Limited and the prior Ward & McKenzie Yacht Consultants being wound up. The firm has no disclosed funding, no external investors, and no app or digital platform; its moat is built on senior surveyor expertise, multi-jurisdictional credentials, and long-standing relationships with finance, insurance, and shipyard channels.

Name

Ward & McKenzie Yacht Consultancy

Legal name

Ward & McKenzie Surveys Limited

Website

https://ward-mckenzie.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ward & McKenzie is an independent UK yacht surveying and consultancy firm founded in 1997, providing technical surveys, legal/conveyancing, expert witness, and build/refit project management for 30m–140m+ superyachts. It serves HNW owners, banks, insurers, and shipyards globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodbridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Survey Services: Professional surveying services including pre-purchase surveys, damage surveys, insurance surveys, engineering surveys, tonnage measurements, and valuation surveys for yacht buyers, owners, banks, insurers, and finance companies. Services are provided on a per-engagement basis.
2. Project Management Services: Build and refit project management services with fees based on project scope, duration, and complexity. Provides coordination, scheduling, quality management, and delivery oversight.
3. Legal and Advisory Services: Legal consultancy and yacht conveyancing services including contract advisory, registration services, VAT planning, and compliance services. Expert witness services for arbitration and litigation proceedings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ward & McKenzie Yacht Consultancy is an independent yacht surveying and consultancy firm providing in-water and out-of-water technical inspections, independent valuations, build/refit project management, legal yacht conveyancing, and expert witness services for superyachts (30m to 140m+) and small craft. Services are delivered directly by an in-house team of surveyors and supplemented by a global network of associated surveyors.

Product overview

Ward & McKenzie Yacht Consultancy operates as a unified consultancy offering professional and independent yacht surveying, legal consultancy, and project management services. The core portfolio includes Superyacht Surveys (covering pre-purchase, damage, insurance valuations, engineering, and specialist inspections), Legal/Yacht Conveyancing (including VAT advisory, registration, and expert witness services), and Build/Refit Project Management. A parallel Small Craft division mirrors these services for smaller vessels. All offerings are delivered through in-house expertise supplemented by a global network of associated surveyors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Superyacht Pre-Purchase Surveys

Quantifiable outcome

• Surveyed or managed build of 6 yachts 30-50m within a 12-month period (2015)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Associated Yacht Surveyors WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Ward & McKenzie has established a network of associated yacht surveyors in most parts of the world to provide local expertise when needed. This enables the company to undertake quality yacht surveys all over the world, often from a base close at hand, reducing time and cost for clients. The network is coordinated with their outport surveyors for superyacht surveys.
• IIMS Certifying AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMost appointed Surveyors are authorised by the Institute of Yacht and Small Craft Surveyors (IIMS) Certifying Authority to undertake MCA coding examinations for small commercial vessels.
• YBDSA (Yacht Brokers and Designers Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurveyors authorised by YBDSA to undertake MCA coding examinations for small commercial vessels under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Code of Practice.
• Red Ensign RegistriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe company and appointed Surveyors are authorised by most of the Red Ensign registries (UK, Cayman Islands, BVI, Isle of Man, etc.) to undertake Tonnage Measurement Surveys required for yacht registration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lloyd's Register: Lloyd's Register is a global classification society offering marine surveys, structural inspections, and statutory certification for large vessels and superyachts. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities to Ward & McKenzie's independent surveying work but operates at much greater scale and scope.
• DNV: DNV is a classification and marine advisory society performing surveys, verifications, and risk services across shipping and offshore. It is comparable to Ward & McKenzie as a marine inspection provider but at significantly greater scale and with a much wider service portfolio.
• Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore: Bureau Veritas provides marine classification, surveys, and certification services for ships and offshore assets including yachts. It overlaps with Ward & McKenzie on condition and class surveys for large yachts but as part of a broader marine assurance portfolio.
• RINA Services: RINA is a classification society and marine certification body that performs surveys, inspections, and technical advisory work on large vessels including yachts. It competes at the upper end of the market where Ward & McKenzie also operates, but as part of a much broader classification and certification portfolio.

Others

• Y.CO: Y.CO is a yacht management, charter, and brokerage firm serving large yacht owners globally. It overlaps with Ward & McKenzie on the HNW owner customer base and on adjacent advisory/build oversight work, though its core is brokerage and management rather than independent surveying.
• Edmiston: Edmiston is a superyacht sales, charter, and management firm. It is comparable as an adjacent professional-services counterpart to large yacht owners but does not compete directly in independent surveying or expert witness work.
• Camper & Nicholsons: Camper & Nicholsons is a long-established yacht management, sales, and charter company serving the superyacht market. It is comparable as an adjacent service provider to the same owner/bank/insurer ecosystem but is not an independent surveying specialist.
• Burgess: Burgess is a leading global superyacht brokerage and management house. It shares the same HNW and institutional customer set as Ward & McKenzie (banks, owners, underwriters) but is positioned as a broker/manager rather than an independent surveyor.
• Northrop & Johnson: Northrop & Johnson is a global yacht brokerage and charter firm serving the superyacht market. It overlaps with Ward & McKenzie on the buyer/seller ecosystem and pre-purchase workflow but is not an independent surveyor.

Direct peers

• Hill Robinson: Hill Robinson is a yacht management and consultancy firm offering owner representation, build/refit project management, and operational services to superyacht owners. It is the closest direct comparable to Ward & McKenzie's project management and advisory offering for the 30m+ segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Ward-Mckenzie-Balearics-498633393529470

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ward & McKenzie Yacht Consultancy