Few people arrive at a sales role carrying the kind of credentials Andy Andrews brings to his work. Decades living aboard naval vessels, postings across East Africa and the Middle East, and a career in the marine industry that reads like a tour through its most recognised names. These are not experiences you accumulate behind a desk. As Brand Manager for Protector Boats in Europe, working under the Ancasta Group umbrella, Andy combines hard-won practical knowledge with a belief in the product that is, by any measure, difficult to fake.
Protector Boats are built in New Zealand, yet the brand's presence extends well beyond the Pacific. These vessels turn up tendering for superyachts off southern Italy just as readily as they do running the Hauraki Gulf. That global reach is sustained in no small part by the strength of Protector's international dealer network, and the relationship with Ancasta Group sits at the heart of it. Ancasta is Europe's largest new and used yacht brokerage network and holds the exclusive dealership for Protector on the continent, providing a commercial infrastructure that few independent marine brands could replicate.
Andy's path to this role is worth understanding. He served in the Royal Navy for 25 years, living aboard ships of various sizes and accumulating postings across a broad sweep of the globe. A period based in Kenya saw him working alongside British forces, supplying boats and equipment for operations throughout the region. That grounding in practical seamanship gave him a perspective on boats, their capabilities and their limitations, that most people in the industry simply do not have.
When he left the navy, he moved straight into marine sales, helping to establish Sail Oman before working through a succession of well-known industry brands. By the time he joined Protector, the role felt familiar. He has owned a boat throughout his adult life, though at present there is one complication: he is too busy travelling the world selling Protectors to keep one on the water himself.
The commercial structure behind his operation is substantial. Ancasta International Boat Sales was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Hampshire in the United Kingdom, with more than 22 offices spread across the UK and Europe. For Protector, that network translates into genuine on-the-ground capability covering sales, aftersales support, and warranty servicing across the continent.
Andy has no illusions about what the job demands. He describes the work in blunt terms, noting that the old address book is back out and the question is simply where it takes him next:
"This is not a job that you can do sitting behind a keyboard, it's 80% travelling out of the office all over Europe. I've done some work in Croatia, I've got a trip to southern Ireland coming up. We're off to the Channel Islands shortly, as Protector really is the ideal commuter between the islands and the mainland."
All that travel requires genuine conviction in what you are selling, and with Andy that conviction is clearly not for show. He hears price objections from time to time, but finds they tend to evaporate once a potential buyer actually gets a Protector under their feet:
"Some people say I could buy something for less, but nothing compares. Once you've driven a Protector you understand. The capability of these boats, the seakeeping ability, the strength, and the build, it's completely unique."
Professional operators are often among the most persuaded. People who have used a Protector in demanding working conditions tend to return when it comes to choosing a personal boat:
"Pros who've used them professionally understand this and they'll always buy them for private use. It's a boat that will get you out of trouble in gnarly weather, your clients, your team, your crew and your family will always get home safely."
The Ancasta partnership has also resolved a practical difficulty that came with selling a New Zealand-built boat on the other side of the world. Customer service was previously managed from New Zealand and, while it worked well enough, the distance created real friction for European customers. That has changed considerably:
"Previously Protector Boats customer service was remote via New Zealand, and they did a great job, but the distance made it difficult. Now thanks to Ancasta, we have offices throughout Europe, mobile engineers, we're incredibly well established."
Away from the logistics, Andy speaks with genuine warmth about the people who build the boats back home. He has spent meaningful time in New Zealand and feels a real connection to the wider team:
"I've spent lots of time in NZ, and get on really well with Lyndsay and Matt and Dean and I'm very excited to have Karen on board."
That closeness to the people behind the brand underpins his confidence in front of clients, and it means the feedback he brings back from European customers actually goes somewhere useful:
"I've got complete faith in the brand. I can stand in front of my team and my clients and educate them about Protector because it's an amazing product. And I always say, the best way to sell these boats is to find some bad weather and get yourself onboard."
"I really enjoy sending design feedback which actually gets acted on. I feel like part of a big family. At the end of the day, I really believe in this brand, I believe in the product, and the people behind it so it's not hard to sell these things."
He does have one complaint, though it is the kind any boat manufacturer would be happy to hear:
"I'd love to sell more, but the only problem is they last forever!"
