Rory is a chartered engineer, senior naval architect, and owner’s representative. He has worked in the top superyacht shipyards across the world and has project managed steel, aluminium and composite builds on yachts from 40m upwards. He is a member of RINA and made Partner at Burgess in 2022.

Rory possesses a wealth of maritime skill mixing his technical design proficiency with operational, refit and management expertise. In his current role, he liaises with owners and their team, including legal, financial and crew, to create specifications and contracts that fit their individual brief. He brings a broad range of skill sets to the job, encompassing contract negotiation, regulatory knowledge and a firm grasp of construction and operational knowhow.

Prior to joining Burgess in 2007, Rory spent two years as yacht crew in the Mediterranean and Caribbean gaining invaluable seagoing experience. He then designed and built RIBs in New Zealand before moving to Three Quays Marine Services (the technical arm of P&O) to work on cruise ship stability and damage analysis. He subsequently spent three years at Rainsford Saunders Design overseeing all technical design matters and two notable superyacht refits.
 
He counts several of the world’s most impressive yachts among his significant projects, including 147m TOPAZ (now A+), 93m LADY S, 73m HASNA (now LUNASEA) and 96m VAVA II, which remains his favourite new build project. On joining the Burgess Partnership scheme, he assists with the in-house Ideas Bank and the UKSA Charity partnership, both with a view to provide good governorship and corporate improvement. Today, he works alongside brokerage on new builds, charter on design concepts, and management on technical detail and design continuity for a global client base.

‘I believe a passion for the yachting industry and its satellite services is vital,’ he says. ‘Burgess has matured and expanded significantly in the years since I joined. We at BTS aim is to use our experience and knowledge to foresee problems before they arise – a matter of prevent rather than cure. Working with a strong yet humble group allows us to build the right team for each client; this is primarily a bespoke process and the client experience is fundamental to a successful project.’