West Nautical have appointed a UK based Business Development Manager, Rachel McDermott, and a Senior Crew Recruitment Consultant, Leanne Le Roux.

Rachel, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, will be responsible for the continued growth of West Nautical’s UK based clients, along with assisting with the company’s brand recognition and identifying new avenues of opportunity for the company.

A familiar face across the region’s business community, Rachel joins West Nautical after a varied and successful career in event and business management for boutique companies and a globally recognised hotel chain.

Rachel moved to Newcastle from Liverpool at the age of six when her father, Terry McDermott, a former professional footballer who played for England 25 times during the 1970s and 80s, transferred from Liverpool Football Club to Newcastle United. After studying business at Newcastle College, she started her career as an account executive at a large-format digital print agency before moving into event and account management and then joining the Crowne Plaza hotel chain in 2016.

Geoff Moore, West Nautical MD added: “Rachel is welcome addition to our team. She brings experience, enthusiasm and energy to the company at a time where we are looking to expand our UK client base. Rachel is a very well connected lady, and has a particular close working relationship with sports personalities as well as the UK’s top business networking scenes, and we are delighted to have brought her aboard.”

Leanne was born in Brisbane, Australia having grown up in Cairns, the doorstep to the Great Barrier Reef. This is where she was first exposed to the yachting industry and decided after 12 years of working in the hospitality industry it was time for a change, so in 2002 she moved to Fort Lauderdale to start her career on a 60m motor yacht as junior stewardess, working her way up to Chief Stewardess.

After 6 years of Mediterranean/Caribbean cruising, Leanne left the industry to start a family and has been working in Crew Recruitment since 2011 in Antibes.

In her spare time Leanne enjoys spending with her family, where living on the côté d Azur offers her endless options!

Rachel can be contacted at rachel.mcdermott@westnautical.com and Leanne via crew@westnautical.com