Northrop & Johnson wins big at the 2019 IYBA Awards

Two Northrop & Johnson Yacht Brokers received top honors at the International Yacht Brokers Association (IYBA) Annual Dinner held on January 25, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Yacht Broker Ann Avery was awarded 2019 Sailboat Broker of the Year and Yacht Broker Wes Sanford was awarded 2019 Superyacht Broker of the Year.

The Sailboat Broker of the year award is voted on by IYBA membership. Criteria for the award include a yacht broker that primarily sells sailboats and also displays a high level of professionalism and ethics, gives back to society and helps to raise the bar for the yacht sales industry. Ann demonstrates all of these standards and more. She has worked in the yachting industry for decades, first as a captain and later as a yacht broker. She has cruised extensively both privately and professionally. While her passion and yachting experience began with sailing yachts, it now extends to the motor yacht sector as well. Ann began her career as a broker in the 1990s and joined Northrop & Johnson in 2001 where she flourished as a yacht broker, selling a variety of noteworthy yachts. Some of Ann’s most recent sales include the 137-foot (41.8m) classic J-class sailing yacht RANGER, the 96-foot (29m) sailing yacht LA JOIE DE MER, the 170-foot (51m) motor yacht VIXIT and the 203-foot (62m) Benetti motor yacht LUMIERE II. “I’m thrilled to receive this award; it’s gratifying to me that as motor yachts increasingly dominate the market, we still celebrate the spirit of sailing and honor the heritage that started it all,” said Yacht Broker Ann Avery.

Superyacht Broker of the Year also is an award voted on by the members of IYBA. The criteria for the award comprise a yacht broker that primarily sells powerboats larger than 30 meters and displays a high level of professionalism and ethics, gives back to society and helps to raise the bar for the yacht sales industry. Wes Sanford not only meets but exceeds these requirements. Wes entered the yachting industry, leaving behind a career as a financial analyst in the aerospace industry, in 1984. He worked aboard yachts for more than 12 years before moving ashore to pursue his career as a yacht broker. He joined Northrop & Johnson in 2008 and has become one of the yachting industry’s top-selling brokers. Recent yachts sold by Wes include the 160-foot (48.8m) CHASSEUR and the 67-meter Benetti custom yacht PROJECT FENESTRA.

IYBA was founded in 1987 to bring together professionals within the yacht brokerage business to create a culture of professionalism and synergy among members and to ensure a high standard of business within the industry. 

For more information on the IYBA awards presented to Yacht Brokers Wes Sanford and Ann Avery, please contact PR@NorthropandJohnson.com.