Fiona Maureso

With a degree in European Studies from Bath University under my belt, I arrived in the South of France in 1983 and embarked on a very shortlived career as a deckhand on a 40 metre motor yacht (a veritable megayacht in those days). Realising that a sailor’s life was not for me, I moved ashore and worked variously as a teacher, translator and interpreter before landing a job as a yachtbroker’s assistant. Gaining experience in all aspects of the industry, I became a charter broker in 1989 and joined Peter Insull’s Yacht Marketing in 1993. I am an active and committed member of our industry association MYBA and served for many years on the Charter Committee before being elected to the Board earlier this year.  As Chair of the Boatshow Committee, I oversee the organisation of the MYBA Charter Shows in both Genoa and St Maarten, a role that I am finding challenging, stimulately and ultimately very rewarding.  In December, I will have been with Peter Insull's for 16 years - but such longevity is not unusual here:  more than half our staff have been with the company for at least 10 years.  

About my job ...

A charter broker’s role is that of “matchmaker” – finding the right yacht for a particular client, securing the charter and then ensuring that everything goes smoothly from start to finish.  An in-depth knowledge of the yachts we promote is vital, which is why we attend boat shows all over the world, and a good charter broker will also have excellent communications skills.  Not only do we have to understand and fulfill a client’s requirements but we also need to liaise with the yacht crew and ensure that they, too, know what to expect.  During the season we're permanently on call,  attending to last minute enquiries or dealing with unforeseen crises.  It's a demanding job but at the same time it's endlessly fascinating.  You never know what each day is going to bring and you're learning all the time.  It's quite addictive.

Why are there so many more women than men in charter brokerage?

A charter broker’s job doesn’t stop once the charter contract is signed and paid for.  It is the broker’s responsibility to ensure that every single detail of the cruise is attended to, from dietary requirements to fine wines, from baby equipment to the colour of the flowers.  There are some excellent and very thorough male charter brokers in the industry but generally women cope better with the minutiae involved in planning a charter, perhaps because we are naturally more nurturing, or perhaps because we have more patience with such details.   I honestly can’t imagine a man being interested the particular fragrance of a scented candle, or the specific size of nappy required for a client’s baby, for example!