40 years young

From humble beginnings, when the doors were first opened by Nigel Burgess in 1975, the Burgess brand has continued to grow and expand with the market in the past 40 years. While catching up with CEO Jonathan Beckett, who has been with the company since 1981, he shared what sets the team apart from some of the other firms in the industry today.

"We truly are a united unit", he said. "Before hiring a new team member, we make sure the chemistry is right and they share a similar mindset to those already working here. Even though we have over 160 staff now, it's still very much a family-run business and I like to say I still personally know every member of the team globally". 

Following the market through various highs, and a number of lows since the 2008 recession, Burgess has been able to remain afloat throughout. Is it down to the family ethos? Focussing on low turnover and therefore team loyalty? Or the fact they remain a privately owned company with no outside shareholders? Beckett thinks it's a combination of the above and taking risks when possible. "I still get asked by staff, 'why did we do X?' and the truth of it is, if you don't try something new, you'll never know. We simply can't afford to stand still in this industry".

Director of Marketing and Communications, Alex Karagulle thinks the market is in a great place at the moment and shares Jonathan's enthusiasm for the future. "I think we're seeing healthy improvements across all sectors at the moment" she states. "New build contracts are up, the resale market is returning to a healthy norm, charter and management services continue to tick over smoothly. All of these have a knock on effect which show great promise for the next few years," she concludes.