Burgess expands into South America

This initiative is the organic evolution of the company’s long-term commitment to serving and developing the region’s superyacht market, fostered over the course of the last decade. With an already impressive client portfolio of South American-based superyacht owners and charterers, Burgess has consistently invested in reconnaissance visits to the region and is now excited to build its presence there.

BYS International was founded in 2012 by a team with more than 40 years of experience within the superyacht industry. Starting off as a local agency, BYS quickly expanded into Management, Brokerage and Charter and has since gone from strength-to-strength with an international expansion too. The company was first introduced to Burgess in 2014, and the two companies have worked closely ever since.

As Managing Partner of BYS International, João Raphael Kossmann (above) graduated in Business and Economics and began his career in finance, where he dealt with investment banking, wealth management and international banking. His days in yachting began 12 years ago after an investment in the first Latin American-based superyacht agency (soon to become BYS International Yachting), from which he seized the chance to make a career out of his long passion for yachting and assumed the role of Managing Partner. He led the expansion of the agency into a full-service yacht boutique, setting up Charter, Charter Management and Brokerage services and led it into an international expansion, establishing its presence on three continents.

He says, ‘I am very enthusiastic about this partnership and the potential for such cooperation. Burgess and BYS first interacted in 2014, when we executed our first yacht charter agreement. This is the natural next step.

‘The potential of bringing to our clients the vast array of services and experience of a yachting superpower like Burgess is huge. They will continue to feel at home while having all the support, experience and global reach. It is very rewarding to be here, and we definitely see positive years on the horizon.’

Matt Emerson, Direct of Americas, Burgess, commented, ‘The South American market has always been very important to Burgess and therefore we are very excited to announce this partnership. It is the natural progression for Burgess to expand into South America while ensuring we keep the local expertise of a world-renowned company on the ground.

‘We have been working closely with BYS International for many years and we are delighted we can now formalise this arrangement.’

BYS International was founded in 2012 by partners with over 40 years of cumulative experience in the yachting industry. Initially named Brazil Yacht Services, its first line of service was as the only yacht dedicated agency in the South American continent. After servicing close to 100 percent of the superyachts that visited the country since then, its partners, while noticing the level of service and operation in the most prestigious yachts, observed a huge opportunity due to the lack of specialised yacht services in the region. The partners decided to open a Management, Charter and Brokerage affiliate, which was given the name of BYS International Yachting, thus pursuing the vision of becoming the first true independent yacht services company in Latin America. BYS International then expanded into the USA, with the creation of BYS International Yachting, LLC, and Europe, with the creation of BYS International Yachting, AG. The first interactions with Burgess happened in 2014, upon the execution of the first superyacht charter agreement for an esteemed client of BYS. From that moment both companies have constantly cooperated in Charter, Management and Yacht Sales projects.