As the yachting industry continues to grow, more and more women are making a significant impact on this traditionally male-dominated space. Here, YATCO takes the time to get to know some of these women – from all areas of the market – and highlight the important work that they contribute to the industry.
Eleanor Briggs is the Head of Marketing & Creative at Arksen, a marine adventure company designing and building exceptionally capable marine exploration vessels. It aims to create the world’s largest privately owned research-capable fleet and to inspire a new generation of explorers, sailors, adventurers and scientists; motivating them to go further, for longer, and in support of projects that empower global audiences to better understand, protect and nurture the world’s oceans.
Featuring Eleanor Briggs, Head of Marketing & Creative at Arksen
What drew you to the yachting world?
I kind of fell into the industry when I stopped traveling and teaching watersports, it was the only industry that understood the life lessons and skills I had learned during that time. The yacht world had an openness and understanding that managing a kitesurf school was actually a transferable skill.
How did you get your start in yachting?
Over 10 years ago, I started working in commissioning and aftersales of a boat yard and then quickly moved into sales and marketing support. I discovered my love of marketing and retrained in this space. As a result of yachting being a relatively small industry and drawing on my connections, I started my role at Arksen.
Who are some influential people in your life that you look up to?
I am in absolute awe of what the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is achieving and the impact it is having on several industries. They also have a fantastic range of resources and courses for those wanting to learn about the circular economy and how to apply it.
There are a number of strong and passionate women in the sustainability space – both in and out of the marine industry – who inspire me. Alexis Ayre has just launched a sustainable marketing model for those looking to embed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their practices. This concept is especially important as the voices of brands we have an enormous impact on what is inferred through imagery and language, as well as how we approach events and marketing materials.
With sustainability, brands have an enormous impact on what is inferred through imagery and language, as well as how we approach events and marketing materials.
Alexandra Smith, co-founder of The Sustainability Group, is going from strength to strength and is passionate about promoting female founded companies, as well as advocating for more sustainable practices.
What are some challenges you face and how do you overcome them?
When you work in marketing, you often feel like you don’t have a right to a voice when you are surrounded by very technically trained people in the industry or those who have a couple of extra decades on you. Marketing is often seen as a kind of fluffy skill set and when you are up against leading experts in their field you sometimes quieten your opinions and discount your views and your potential impact.
Recently, at an event, we were set the task of discussing what we would change in the industry to build a better future. Each delegate had to create a two-minute pitch to present to the group. I was surrounded by naval architects, sales directors from superyacht manufacturers, lawyers, engineers etc. from across the yacht industry and it was my pitch that was voted as the best by the group.
What I have learnt is the importance of every individual and every department within a company who can impact the sustainable trajectory. Always question the norm, put your views forward and if you speak with passion and conviction, people will listen, and you can make a difference.
Always question the norm, put your views forward and if you speak with passion and conviction, people will listen, and you can make a difference.
What are you currently working on and how do you stay inspired?
From a business perspective and product launch, we have two Arksen 85s hitting the water later this year, along with three of the 27-45ft Adventure Series vessels launching in the Autumn. We also have a couple of new business streams coming online in Q4 as well.
From a personal perspective within my own team, we are working on a more structured approach to how we market ourselves in a sustainable manner, improving our tracking and incremental improvements across the board.
Working for a company that has a purpose beyond yacht ownership is inspirational. Being a part of a mission to increase research onboard private yachts and integrating circular economy principles into yacht design, build and support is a key point that keeps me inspired.
Working for a company that has a purpose beyond yacht ownership is inspirational. Being a part of a mission to increase research onboard private yachts and integrating circular economy principles into yacht design, build and support is a key point that keeps me inspired.
I also do a lot of reading on behavioral science and look at solutions implemented in other industries and see how we could apply them within our sector. This helps keep things interesting and drives me to look at the problems from a psychological & behavioral point of view.
