With a considered emphasis on “making a difference”, Joey has used her expertise, energy and passion to inspire and influence thousands of yacht crew throughout her professional career spanning over 30 years.
Dedicated to education & training development, as well as representing crew’s needs through the regulators and authorities, she has enabled and followed the amazing careers of a vast number of yacht crew over the years.
Her enthusiasm for yachting started in 1990, when, whilst being a keen regatta racer, she landed a job running an RYA Sail Training School in the UK. Fast forward 10 years, Joey was headhunted and accepted the job from Freedom Yachting in Antibes to oversee the training department, and went on to work with Bluewater Yachting after a takeover. Joey subsequently settled in the South of France, and by 2005 set up her own business, ASKJOEY, while also being invited to join the PYA Council.
ASKJOEY ran for 13 enjoyable years, committed to supporting countless crew and facilitating a much needed “advisory” platform, where Joey’s extensive experience enabled offering unbiased guidance to crew pursuing a career in yachting.
Joey devoted 15 years of volunteering at the PYA as Director of Training Development & Certification. During this time she built and reinforced strong alliances while on the front line of yacht training development, which included being part of the MCA Yacht Qualification Panel, amongst others.
As a regular on numerous yachting panels, seminars and worldwide yachting events, as well as hosting a few of her own over the years. Joey relishes these opportunities to engage with heads of industry and training provisions, whilst representing the yacht crew she is so passionate about supporting.
Instrumental in initiating training development projects in conjunction with regulators and feedback from crew, such as the RYA PW Safety Course, Yacht Rating certification, PYA/RYA Superyacht Tender Operations, MCA Ships Cook Assessment… to name a few.. Joey also took the initiative in 2008, with an amazing network of colleagues, to explore and develop the training needs for the interior departments. The GUEST Program was born, a success story on how an industry can create and self-regulate bespoke training standards to meet the end users demands.
By January 2019 Joey was appointed on the IAMI BoD (International Association of Maritime Institutions) as administrator of the IAMI Maritime Hospitality Sub Group, which includes the continued role of GUEST program Director and working closely with education and government regulators.
As founder of the GUEST Program Joey is wholly committed to ensuring that the value and standards embedded with the program are upheld, as well as safeguarding those working in the interior departments a future of recognised training and value to their investments. A project very dear to her heart, Joey is looking forward to the next chapter of events and meeting new and old colleagues and friends along the way.
