Mourjan Marinas IGY, the Dubai-based developer and manager of luxury marinas and yachting lifestyle destinations, has announced the appointment of John Bush as its Senior Business Operations Manager.

Mourjan Marinas IGY appoints John Bush as Senior Business Operations Manager

An industry veteran with over 25 years of wide ranging experience in all aspects of the marine industry, Mr Bush’s role will see him identifying and developing new marina operation opportunities in markets where Mourjan Marinas IGY’s strategy highlights growth potential for the future.  He will also convert new opportunities and apply his skill set and know how to effectively deliver Mourjan Marinas IGY service standards.

The company has extended its reach right across the region in the past 18 months, with projects in Bahrain, Qatar and Oman all underway. It has also signed a binding agreement with Russian company Sochi Grand Marina to manage the marina development and transformation of the port of Sochi in Russia.

“I am very much looking forward to helping Mourjan Marinas IGY reach its business goals both locally and internationally, whilst also meeting the already very high standards represented by the company in both marina management and customer service,” said Mr Bush.

“My aim will be to pursue potential opportunities that fit within the company’s scope for expansion and we will then implement the necessary strategies and procedures to maximize profitability and project yields.”

Before joining Mourjan Marinas IGY, Mr Bush was Managing Director with Jumana, a UAE-based specialist marine marketing consultancy that worked closely with international yacht manufacturers, dealers, marina management companies and end users. Whilst there, he developed a marine registration and monitoring system called ‘Seapass’, an online portal that was developed for leisure boaters within the UAE.

Jumana is a co-founder of The Marine Leisure Association of the Emirates (MLAE), an organisation made up of marine trade partners and government departments dedicated to promoting safe and active boating throughout the country. Mr Bush was also a founding member of the MLAE and his dedication to the industry has seen him become one of the most respected figures within the regional boating fraternity.

“From my experience with Seapass and the MLAE, I have spent a great deal of time researching and working with the regional leisure marine industry.  In doing so, I hope this has made me fairly well known as a “doer” in the industry and in turn this will, hopefully, help when trying to open doors to new opportunities in my new role.”

Prior to coming to the Middle East, Mr Bush worked with Sunseeker Sales Group where he was driving new business development for both new and used boat sales, whilst introducing a range of new clients using various marketing strategies and events. Before switching careers to move in to the marine world, he had founded his own company ‘Springboard Worldwide’, a top end sales recruitment and training firm specialising in technical sales and sales management as well as training and mentoring senior level sales executives within blue chip companies.

With a number of training and professional courses behind him, including sales management, negotiating techniques and psychology courses, as well as a series of management and leadership courses, Mr Bush will be using this vast experience and training to implement additional revenue streams to the company’s existing group operations.