Marknesse builder of 12 to 35 m aluminium sport yachts in semi-custom series, private-equity backed, with a Florida service base and a Gdańsk engineering cell.
2012
Founded
TransEquity Network, majority
Owner
not published
Revenue
about 90 on LinkedIn
People
12 to 35 m
Range
Semi-custom series; product owners per model
Model
What happened, 2023 to 2026
May 2023Build35 m VQ115 Veloce, the largest Vanquish, launched
Jan 2025BuildFirst VQ70 T-Top delivered to a Florida owner
Feb 2025Top seatFrank Spikker CEO; interim CEO de Haas to the advisory board
Feb 2026DealA US owner buys his second Vanquish within a year
What it adds up to. A new CEO reorganised engineering into product owners per model: the most series-like organisation on the Dutch side.
Who runs it
CEOsince 2025
Head of Marketingsince 2025
Director of Sales and Operations, USAsince 2018
Production managersince 2024
R&D leadsince 2025
Leader of the design departmentsince 2025
Controller (finance lead)since 2021
Organisation. PE-backed; new CEO, product owners per model
What it shows for a new yard. Private-equity owner, outside CEO, series thinking: a product organisation rather than a yard organisation.
Former leaders now elsewhere2 people who held a top or senior seat here
now Owner at Advanced Yachting consulting
now Technical Manager at ICON Yachts
The top team as read on LinkedIn85 people read as staff, October 2026
An outside CEO (Jan 2025) over the founder-owner, a Global Director Services & After-Sales (the former COO), a Head of Marketing (Aug 2025), a design department lead (Sep 2025), head of purchasing, a controller as finance lead, and a family member selling in the US.
A founder-led performance-boat builder professionalising: the founder handed the CEO seat to a consumer-brand executive, who within a year moved the COO to after-sales and hired marketing and design leads. Small (about 90 on LinkedIn), with boats under 30 m, so outside the brief's size band; included because it shows the founder-to-outsider handover in miniature.
Seats and dates are as the people describe them on LinkedIn; a person who moved in the last months can still show the old seat. Tap a person for the profile and the reading.
Candidates at Vanquish Yachts2 in the pools; the shortlisted first, then by tier and score
* Commercial leadership30%Chief Marketing Officer @ Philips; CEO BU Professional Lighting Asia Pacific
* Yacht network20%No evidence in the profile.
* Technical and pricing20%No evidence in the profile.
* Business building20%CEO Royal Mosa (Aug 2018 – Jul 2023); Group CEO @ Halo Creative & Design
Leadership maturity10%over 15 years of CEO experience in corporate, family business and Private Equity owned business
Reading. CEO since Jan 2025; CEO of Royal Mosa (tiles) 2018-2023, Isopartner 2024, Timothy Oulton and Halo furniture 2011-2017, Philips Lighting marketing and Asia-Pacific CEO before; INSEAD. A consumer-brand and family-business CEO brought in over the founder; first year in boats.
Group CEO · Halo Creative & Design Ltd. Jan 2011 – May 2017
Business Owner · Bowline - Business Consultants Sep 2017 – Sep 2018
Chief Executive Officer · Timothy Oulton Jan 2011 – May 2017
CEO BU Professional Lighting Asia Pacific · Philips Lighting Jan 2009 – Feb 2011
and 8 earlier roles
Education
INSEAD International Executive Programme; Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management Philips Marketing Program; University of Warwick - Warwick Business School International Key Account Management Program
* Commercial leadership30%No evidence in the profile.
* Yacht network20%No evidence in the profile.
* Technical and pricing20%Production Director @ Southern Wind Shipyard (Dec 2021 – 2026); Production Director @ CNO Yacht Construction
* Business building20%No evidence in the profile.
Leadership maturity10%Production management since 2014 at three yards and Alstom
Reading. Since Sep 2026; Nautor's Swan global operations leader, production director at Southern Wind (Cape Town) and CNO, Alstom production manager; mechanical engineer. A production director now running service.
Career
Global Fleet & Service Development Manager · Vanquish Yachts Sep 2026 – Present
Global Operations Leader | Lifetime Maintenance Governance · Nautor's Swan Global Service Feb 2022 – Aug 2026
Production Director · Southern Wind Shipyard Aug 2018 – Dec 2021
Production Director · CNO Yacht Construction – Structural Subcontractor for Ferretti Group Jun 2017 – Jun 2018
Production Manager · Alstom Oct 2015 – Jun 2017
Production Manager · Attewell Ltd Nov 2014 – Oct 2015
Production Manager · CNO yachts construction Jun 2008 – Feb 2014
Production/Planning assistant Manager · Nautica Ogliastra (Subcontractor of Azimut, Terranova Yachts and Primatist) Jan 2007 – May 2008
and 3 earlier roles
Education
Università degli Studi di Cagliari Bachelor’s Degree · Mechanical Engineering
Languages
English · Full professional proficiency, Italian · Native or bilingual proficiency, Spanish · Limited working proficiency
Facts and news, with sourcesthe research behind the overview
Show the facts and the dated news with their sources
Identity
Full name: Vanquish Yachts (legal entity name not found). source
Founded: 2012, by Dutch entrepreneur Tom Steentjes. source 1source 2
Headquarters and yard: Expansie 15, 8316 GB Marknesse (Flevoland), the Netherlands. US office and service base in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. source
Location note: the brief lists Hellevoetsluis. No source found that links Vanquish to Hellevoetsluis. The Hellevoetsluis yard (ex Yagra) belongs to Vaan Yachts, a different company. source
Marknesse site: 3,145 m², room to finish 8 boats at once; hulls are not built on site. source
Ownership: private-equity backed. Dutch investor TransEquity Network took a majority stake (percentage not published) in 2017–2018. source 1source 2
Sister brands: none found.
Size
Employees: COO Sander Mars said 8 staff a year earlier and "50 this summer" (2021). source
Revenue: not found (private company). Sales data point: 20 boats sold in the US in 2020.
Boat International Global Order Book position: not found. Most of the range is below 24 m, under the order book threshold.
Product
Size range: 40 ft to 115 ft (about 12 m to 35 m). source
Build model: semi-custom on standard platforms (clients change hull configuration, layout and technical spec). source
Current lines: VQ40 (inboard day boat), VQ45 and VQ55 (outboard sport yachts), VQ58 (sport yacht), VQ70 (flagship weekender, about 22 m), VQ115 (35 m "superyacht that flies"); also chase-boat versions. source
Notable deliveries 2023–2026.
VQ115 Veloce, 35 m aluminium, launched 2023-05-15 in the Netherlands, for delivery to the Hamptons in 2023. source
VQ80 Sportfish, about 24 m, expected for delivery June 2023.
First VQ70 T-Top, 22 m, delivered to a Florida owner. source
Freek de Haas — head of the advisory board (former interim CEO), as of 2025-02-19.
Tom Steentjes — founder, as of 2021-03-01 (current role not stated in 2025 sources). source
Sander Mars — Chief Operations Officer, as of 2021-03-01 (current status not verified).
No commercial or sales director named in the press found.
News 2023 to 2026
2026-02
A US owner (cybersecurity entrepreneur Daniel Nutkis) buys his second Vanquish one year after his first.robbreport.com
2025-02
Frank Spikker is appointed CEO; interim CEO Freek de Haas (founder of Esses Capital Partners) moves to head the advisory board.vanquish-yachts.comboatinternational.com
2025-01
Vanquish presents the first VQ70 T-Top, a 22 m sport yacht, delivered to a Florida client.poweryachtblog.com
2025
VQ70 is a finalist for Best Exterior Design (19.5–24 m) at the World Yachts Trophies.yachtbuyer.com
2023-05
The 35 m VQ115 Veloce, the yard's largest yacht, launches in the Netherlands.boatinternational.com
