Winch Design Announces Full Employee Ownership

Winch Design has become a name synonymous with the highest caliber of design, quality and prestige in the yachting industry. Having lent its name to projects such as 91.5m Tranquility (ex Equanimity), 111m Lady Gulya (ex Tis) and 80m Excellence, the Winch name has, over 35 years of steady growth and consolidation, reached a stature of superyacht design royalty. The studio has attributed this to a clear vision, strong company culture and progressive, ahead-of-the-curve approach. 

The Winch Employee Ownership Trust (WEOT) is now the sole shareholder of the company, ensuring the company remains privately held and under the ongoing stewardship of the dedicated Winch team. Co-Directors of the Operating Board Aino Grapin, Jim Dixon and Simon Tomlinson continue to have responsibility for the leadership of Winch Design, together with the Senior Leadership team who run the company. 

As for original founder Andrew Winch, the move to employee ownership is the next step in a an evolving role. While day-to-day running of the company has been in the hands of the Senior Leadership Team for several years now, Andrew will now also pass creative leadership to Jim Dixon, Director of Yachts and Aviation, and Simon Tomlinson, Director of Architecture. Andrew himself will now serve as more of a creative sounding board, participating regularly in design reviews with the two heads of departments and sitting on the Board of Trustees. He will look to broaden his role externally, inspiring young people across the industry at the beginning of their careers and expanding his patronage of British craftsmanship.

Andrew commented in a statement: “I am immensely proud of the team. Today’s announcement is another exciting milestone in our history and such a natural progression of all the great work that has been done to get us to this point. I believe every single person at Winch Design is exceptional and it is their collaborative spirit that is the true strength of the Winch studio. I thank them and also extend huge thanks to our many clients and friends in the industry who have helped us to reach this exciting moment. The Winch DNA is unique and will only get stronger as the adventure continues. 2021 is a special year for Winch, as we celebrate our 35 years in business, but I am so excited to look forward as the next chapter in our history unfolds.”

Winch Design is confident its employee-owned status will resonate with many of its clients and partners, who will benefit from the ‘owner mindset’ of accountability permeating throughout the business.