Burgess x LEGASEA.

We are partnering with LEGASEA, the industry's collective social impact platform, as title sponsor of their mentoring programme. We will fund scholarships for crew of Burgess yachts, giving them the opportunity, access and support to realise their full potential.

LEGASEA is an organisation committed to shaping a high performance, innovative and sustainable yachting industry, 'to leave it better than we found it,' in its own words. It does this by embracing cultures of inclusion, collaboration, innovation and high performance, sharing data and best practice, optimising recruitment, retention and progression, and driving diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) throughout the industry.

Burgess, along with many other leading yachting companies, has signed LEGASEA's Gender and Diversity pledge: 'We are committed to building practices and cultures that actively facilitate, cultivate and celebrate diversity and inclusion, at all levels, throughout our organisation, and our industry.'

As a signatory we are committed to assign a senior sponsor to implement the values embodied in the pledge throughout Burgess, and to gather and share DEI data internally and externally. We will also ensure our marketing, branding and events represent balance and adopt recruitment policies that drive DEI values by engaging candidates from a wider pool.

We have enhanced our commitment by funding scholarship seats to crew of Burgess yachts. Crew granted a scholarship will be assigned a mentor or can request a specific mentor, someone with years of experience in the industry to guide and advise the scholar. In addition to this guidance, there are peer coaching events, learning and training programmes and community support groups.

'With leadership comes responsibility, and as the leading brokerage house, Burgess firmly believes that it has a duty to educate and lead the next generation into the industry,' says Burgess partner Georgina Menheneott. 'We believe in making this industry a better place for all those who work within it, in raising professional standards, in providing accessible training and guidance and in creating the right opportunities for those who aspire to perform, to rise through the ranks and to exceed their own expectations.

'In LEGASEA we have found a team who have themselves worked their way up through the ranks at sea and who know what it takes to deliver time and time again. LEGASEA’s values, passion and commitment match our own and working together we can use the Burgess business as a force for good.'