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Our latest Life after yachting story is about Matt Redstone, Head of Sales at Global Services. With more than 25 years experience in Superyacht Supply, Global services is one of the major players in this area. Matt tells us a bit about the company, what makes him tick, and more importantly why so many Superyachts rely on Global.
Tell us about your time on yachts
I flew out to Miami on a whim a few years back and started working as temp crew. Soon after that I got a full time job and spent the next few years working on 30-40m yachts in the USA and Caribbean. I did 10 years on yachts in total with a bit of brokerage and management thrown in for good measure. This was all great experience for what I do now because I can genuinely claim to understand yachting. I believe you have to have worked on a yacht to understand completely how things work!
Matt. In a nutshell tell those who don’t know what Global services is?
Global Services primarily offer a procurement service for yacht crew. As a busy crew member it’s difficult to find the time to deal with lots of suppliers, prices and freight. That’s where we come in. We take care of that to make sure yacht crew get exactly what they need, when they need it, at the right price. We also offer a range of ancillary services to cater for other needs of yacht crew, whether it be Mobile Phone Contracts, storage solutions or inventory management.
When and how was the company started?
Global was started in 1995 by a chap called Richard Gardiner. Richard was a chief engineer on various vessels for years and struggled to find one dedicated supplier who could supply him with yacht spares and supplies he needed. So, he came ashore and started Global Services, initially supporting his chief engineering mates who also had the same struggles. It wasn’t long until Richard realised it wasn’t just engineers who needed the supply, but yacht crew in all departments were seeking a sole supplier to get them what they needed.
Tell us about your role in the company
As Head of Sales, my number one goal is simple; Deliver our promise of making life simple for our customers. Every day I ask myself the same question – How can we make life even more simple? I love talking to our customers and crew about life at sea, upcoming plans and general yacht speak. It’s key for me to also identify more ways of making life simple. Crew are invaluable assets to the vessel, so it’s our job to support them as much as possible to enable them to be the best crew they can be.
What do you love most about what you do?
Having been crew myself I know just how time-consuming procurement could be onboard, and time was something we as crew were always short of. Now I’m on the opposite side and get the opportunity to provide a service and solution that is so valuable to crew. Everyone at Global is responsible for saving crew time, money, stress, and ultimately making their lives simple.
How many yachts do you supply on an annual basis?
We supply roughly 300 yachts a year. New Build & Operational.
Wow, that is a lot. Yacht supply can be pretty demanding. How do you stay sane? But more importantly keep all your customers happy?
Knowing that we’re providing genuine support and providing constant solutions for crew fuels our fire. We love solving problems and there is always the last minute call for something challenging. Whether it is getting a specific part to a remote yacht ASAP or sourcing something difficult. We love a challenge and it is overcoming hurdles like this, no matter what time of day or night that gets us excited. Not only that but it means our customers know they can rely on us.
Tell us about some of your largest projects? (No names obviously)
We’ve been fortunate enough to support some of the largest and most famous projects in yachting history, and we’ve loved every minute of it. Sure, it has sometimes been challenging due to the huge volume of equipment needed onboard, but it’s well worth the extra work we put in. There’s always a great buzz around Global, but when a project we’ve been working with for years leaves the shipyard, there’s a real sense of achievement. It’s awesome to play a part in the process and be a part of something. It’s projects like those that have given us the experience and knowledge we carry today.
What is it the company supplies most of?
Engineering supplies. But we support all departments onboard. We have in-house department specialists that crew come to for their Engineering, Deck, Galley or Interior supplies.
Tell us 3 things people probably didn’t know you could do
Tenders & Toys
Mobile Phone Contracts for crew
Eco Friendly cleaning products
These are all areas where we have found there is a clear demand. We look after a lot of Superyachts when they are in build or the shipyard. This is generally the time when items like these are bought or replaced. We carefully choose specific partners to work with so that the buying experience for the yacht is the best it can be. We work with experienced suppliers who know their stuff and can guide the customer through the process.
Also, something most crew don’t realise is that we can supply literally anything. As I mentioned earlier engineering supplies are most popular but we can supply any department with anything! We also love a challenge.
What do you feel makes you stand out from the competition?
We ask our customers regularly for ways in which we could improve and we listen to and act on that feedback. A prime example of this is the introduction of our Fulfilment Cost. We show this cost to customers at the time of quoting which covers expenses such as insurance, shipping, packing & handling and more. We show this cost upfront so crew aren’t bombarded with extra expenses at a later date.
What makes your loyal customers loyal?
Our consistent high-level of service makes life simple for them. Providing nothing but the best service is why we’re able to deliver our promise of making life simple. But we’re not just here to supply the items crew need. The wide range of ancillary services we offer provides crew with solutions to most day-to-day challenges they face. We build relationships with crew, which ultimately means a better experience for everyone involved.
Finally, what is your vision for the future of Global services? What can we expect?
Our vision is to continue to make life simple by saving crew even more time when getting goods onboard. We have big plans for the future and are always looking to do what we do even better. We also have a big announcement coming up soon. But, that will have to wait a little while. You will of course be the first to know!
Another success story for ex yacht crew
We love a success story. We also know crew like to read about people who have worked on yachts and gone on to do related but different things. Matt Redstone is another perfect example of how you can take your yachting experience home and do something great with it.
