The Richard Earp Award was created following the passing of the highly respected sales broker Richard Earp earlier this year.
Nominations were open to active members of the yacht brokerage industry and the winner was selected by a judging panel of industry leaders who took into consideration attributes closely associated with Richard’s work ethics and personality: namely transparency, fair and ethical behavior, style and charisma.
Alex Lees-Buckley, winner of the 2016 Richard Earp Award
The inaugural Richard Earp Award* was presented during the MYBA & ICOMIA cocktail that was held on Wednesday 28th of September, the opening evening of the Monaco Yacht Show.The first winner is Alex Lees-Buckley, a sales broker at Camper and Nicholsons with over 40 years of experience in the industry.The judges, although faced with a difficult decision due to the impressive list of nominees, agreed that Alex, a long-standing MYBA Member, met all the criteria and is an exemplary yacht broker who displays strength of character, discretion and generosity.
(l-r) Jean-Claude jean Hervé, Gaye Joyeau - Bourgeois and Michael Skoulikidis
Alex commented on his win by saying“I would like to expresshow very touched I am, on a personal level, to be the recipient of the very first Richard Earp Award which I shall cherish always. I think it's a great initiative and highly appropriate that it should carry Richard's name. He was a wonderful man and a tremendous ambassador to our profession and served as a fine example to all who had the pleasure of dealing with him as to how best one should conduct oneself and ones business in a challenging and competitive industry. Treating those around him and at all levels with great respect, it was always an absolute pleasure to spend time with him and to do business with him was refreshing.
Ioannis Kourounis & Thalia Antoniou
Richard was totally transparent, straightforward, considerate and not least of all fair at all times. Never putting himself first. Able to deal with challenges arising with an extraordinary calm, and invariable touch of humor at just the right moment to calm the waters, which I always admired and enjoyed.
It was a privilege to have known him and my only regret is not to have spent more time with him. I was very pleased to meet some of his family members yesterday and particularly his daughter Natalie whom he spoke of often and was clearly so very proud of. A great loss to all, he will not be forgotten and through his award I am confident that his name will live on in yachting for a very long time as the reference as to how we should all strive to be.”
MYBA would like to extend its congratulations to Alex Lees-Buckley and wish him many more years of contribution to the yachting industry.
*The award itself was created by Carol Bruton and is called Ocean’s 9.
