Jeni Tidmarsh
Jeni Tidmarsh, the founder of The Luxury Charter Group, has built her company's enviable reputation on more than 40 years of sailing the waters of the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the South Pacific, and through a strong alignment to the luxury charter yacht industry worldwide.
Jeni has had a wide range of yachting experience. Her highly successful business has emerged from her vast experience both on and off the water. She has crewed on charter yachts; delivered yachts across the world's oceans; been a sailmaker; worked on the development of marinas; been the advertising manager for a yachting magazine; owned her own yacht which she cruised, raced extensively, and competed in the intense cauldron of one-on-one match racing.
Jeni brings this vast knowledge – a vibrant blend of marine and travel experiences – to her company.
Her remarkable success story with The Luxury Charter Group has evolved through a perfect amalgam – dedication to her clients, a genuine appreciation of their expectations for a luxury yacht charter experience, a highly valuable knowledge of the world's best cruising destinations, and through having a personally selected fleet of luxury yachts available for charter.
'Our passion is yachting and our pledge to our clients is to deliver an exclusive charter experience through professional and personalised service,' Jeni declares with pride. 'It is an approach that sees the Luxury Charter Group having an ever-increasing number of clientele returning to us for new adventures, and others who come to us through recommendations from our loyal clientele'.
'We are always working in the interests of our charterers; constantly travelling the world, visiting existing charter destinations, looking for exciting new cruising opportunities, and inspecting all types of yachts for inclusion in our portfolio of luxury charter vessels.
Sharon Bahmer
Sharon Bahmer, is Luxury Charter Group's USA Senior Charter Executive, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The majority of her clients are resident in the USA; however she also has an extensive international clientele who desire charter destinations primarily in the Caribbean, Bahamas, USA and Mediterranean.
With three decades of experience across the complete spectrum of luxury yacht charters to her credit, Sharon's talents sit comfortably with the Luxury Charter Group's ethos – to create the perfect match between client, charter vessel and destinations.
Her life has always been associated with the sea. Sharon has cruised considerable distances under sail, even crossing the Atlantic from her native South Africa to Brazil on a small yacht, and subsequently voyaging to the most beautiful islands and destinations in the Caribbean. This lifestyle is so deeply entrenched that quite often she spends her vacations aboard sail and motor yachts, visiting far-flung, exciting and romantic destinations.
Sharon's professional standing within the luxury yacht charter industry in America sees her as a Board member of the International Group, the Charter Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA). She was previously Chair of that group's Education Sub-committee, a unit which has as its goal the education of charter brokers about issues and trends across the industry. Sharon is also a member in good standing of the Florida Yacht Brokers Association, and a proud member of MYBA, the worldwide association of Charter Brokers.
Radek Gendek
Radek Gendek is Luxury Charter Group's Senior Charter Executive in Europe where he manages the company's presence to best serve our European clients.
Radek was born in Gdansk, Poland, the home of several renowned shipyards including Conrad, Galeon and Sunreef Yachts.
He divided his college education between Universities in France and Poland. After obtaining his Master's degree, Radek returned to Gdansk and worked for Sunreef Yachts for several years as Director of the Charter and Management department, growing those parts of the business for the esteemed brand.
A firm believer in growth through building personal relationships based on respect and results, Radek offers clients the benefits of his 15 years’ experience in superyacht charter, management and sales.
Most recently, Radek was responsible for the acquisition and construction of the largest yacht ever built in Poland, 44.5m M/Y ACE, whose owner had chartered with Radek for over a decade to all corners of the world.
ACE is a prime example of how the relationship built with a dedicated broker is the foundation of the purchase and construction of a dream superyacht. When making the leap from charter to ownership, there is no better guide to accompany you every step of the process, from concept to delivery.
Radek has first-hand experience of cruising the world's most desirable charter destinations, including extensively in the islands of the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, as well as more remote locations such as French Polynesia, Galapagos, Maldives and the Red Sea.
He regularly attends the charter shows and yacht shows of Europe, the Caribbean and the US, inspecting over 500 yachts a year. This provides him with valuable knowledge of the latest luxury charter yachts, their captains and crews, ensuring his clients have exceptional charter experiences.
Fluent in English, French and Polish, Radek is a highly qualified yachting professional whose insight and expertise ensure LCG clients are matched with their ideal yacht and personalised itinerary.
Radek is also a proud member of MYBA, the Worldwide Yachting Association, as well as being a member of CYBA, the Charter Yacht Brokers Association.
In his free time, he enjoys sailing, spending time with his family, and sporting pursuits of basketball and squash.
Joanna Kozak
Joanna Kozak is a valued member of the Luxury Charter Group team based in Europe. A member of the international professional Charter Brokers' associations of MYBA and CYBA, Joanna is fluent in English and Polish.
Joanna has travelled extensively, exploring most of Europe's key charter destinations including the South of France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Turkey and the Spanish coast, as well as the islands of the Caribbean. As a professional charter broker Joanna brings this experience to add value providing her clients with highly personalised luxury yacht charters.
Joanna’s charter experience stems from 10 years in roles in the industry moving up the ranks to managing a fleet of 20 luxury charter yachts, for a major international yacht builder, before joining Luxury Charter Group.
“The variety of people we work with (Clients, yacht owners, and industry colleagues is exciting and I am always learning. I love that each day is different and brings new challenges!”
Joanna's favourite charter destination is Greece, “for the great food, fantastic people and rich culture”, and being a nature lover, Joanna hopes to one day visit the Galapagos and Antarctica.
Born in the Masurian Lakes district of Poland, Joanna was naturally attracted to the water and fell in love with sailing at a young age. She graduated with a degree in Financial Mathematics at Gdańsk University of Technology and Halmstad University.
Joining Luxury Charter Group with an extensive industry background and a passion for delivering exceptional charter experiences for her clients, Joanna's strengths are her organisational skills, attention to detail and providing inspiring charter itineraries for her clients.
Rebecca Montgomery
Rebecca has been working within the Charter industry for as long as she can remember. The daughter of the CEO of an international yachting company Rebecca rose through the ranks covering every facet of administration, marketing and client service.
During her 15 years with the company, Rebecca developed an unrivalled intellectual knowledge and impressive network, a first-hand knowledge of destinations and solid connections with yacht managers and crew involved in the international charter yacht fleet.
Recently returned to Australia from Monaco, where she lived for the past 30 years, Rebecca now calls the Gold Coast home, and is focused on opening up the wonderful world of charter to Australian clients.
From her many years managing the marketing of 28 charter yachts on behalf of their owners, Rebecca is adept at multitasking and will go above and beyond to achieve exceptional outcomes for her clients.
Respected for her organisational skills and fastidious attention to detail, Rebecca is motivated by her clients’ satisfaction. Her “super powers” consist of her creative flair in devising custom-made itineraries that delight and surprise even the most seasoned charter clients.
In addition to Travel and Tourism qualifications, Rebecca attained a Bachelor of Arts in E-Commerce and Marketing, holds certification to native speaker level in French and is also fluent in Italian.
Kerry Astras
Kerry has joined Luxury Charter Group as a broker, applying her life-long passion for travel, a background in hospitality and two decades of charter experience to helping her clients create their ideal charter vacation.
Growing up, Kerry spent time in Scotland and Australia, always living close to the coast and the allure of the sea.
Many years working in Hospitality Management took her to more than 30 countries and Kerry made the leap from there to a career in yachting, joining the industry in 2002.
Her professionalism, expertise and attention to detail were honed from roles as Deckhand and Chief Stewardess aboard large motor and sailing yachts, rising to senior roles and highly respected for her professionalism and dynamic approach to every task.
It was inevitable Kerry would apply this same verve to a shore-based role, and moving into charter was a natural progression. Over the years, Kerry has explored the West and East Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas and East coast of the US, adding to her knowledge and insight. Kerry is renowned for her diligence inspecting charter yachts at shows around the globe and she prides herself on the ability to liaise with Captains and crew to discover the true essence of the on board experience.
Kerry has worked with charter guests representing over 23 different nationalities, and her main strength is expertly creating bespoke itineraries for each and every client. Fully accredited as a member in one of the industry's leading associations IYBA. (International Yacht Brokers Association) and a member of IATA, Kerry has written about destination cruising for several travel publications.
During her free time, there’s nothing she’d rather do than spend time on the water with family and friends, or pursuing her interests in health, wellness, and gourmet food and wine.
A great asset to Luxury Charter Group, Kerry lives by the motto “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”.
Xenia Bregianni
French-born Xenia was raised in Greece and from a young age enjoyed travel and the coastal lifestyle.
Xenia has been in the charter business for 10 years, and prior to that, was an accomplished and formally trained jeweller, working in Greece and New York.
In 2012, she followed her passion for the sea and embraced a career in charter.
After obtaining her sailing license and various qualifications and certificates, she started her yachting career and within two years, was offered a permanent crew position on board one of the most successful catamarans in Greece – SERENITY.
Recognised for her skills and client service prowess, Xenia made the passage on the yacht from France to Greece and remained on board for eight years, rising to a senior role of managing and running the yacht’s maintenance.
In 2022, Serenity was sold, and Xenia took the opportunity to pursue a different path within the charter industry, joining Luxury Charter Group as a Broker. Over the many years, the team at LCG had worked closely with Xenia and admired her expertise and professionalism.
During her decade aboard charter yachts, Xenia developed a genuine ability to communicate with charter guests and cater to their needs and their vision of the ideal charter.
“Chartering a yacht is more than a sightseeing trip around the islands,” she says. “It is about stepping out of routine, leaving the constraints of normal life onshore, experiencing new destinations in privacy and comfort, reconnecting with and creating memories among family and friends.”
An expert on charter around the Greek Islands, Xenia knows that an important part of the guest experience is fascinating itineraries and insight into new cultures, which means that every charter is unique no matter the destination.
Xenia speaks four languages: French, Greek, English fluently, and Spanish, and brings to LCG her unrivalled knowledge of the myriad Greek Islands, itineraries to recommend based on weather conditions, a local’s repertoire of authentic Greek experiences, and her ability to match suitable yachts and crew for her clients.
Based on her experience, Xenia knows the most important part of charter for guests is to leave the planning and execution to the experts and just savour every moment.
Chrisy Bird
Both professionally and privately Chrisy’s life has revolved around yachting for nearly 40-years. Chrisy is a valuable member of our Team and is dedicated to ensuring you achieve your dream charter experience.
Most remarkably Chrisy, from New Zealand, made an epic 17-year world circumnavigation aboard her own yacht. Chrisy’s incredible journey took her to many amazing places we dream about, including most charter destinations around the world. Her first-hand cruising experience gives her an appreciation about the many aspects of life onboard a luxury yacht and achieving the optimum charter experience. Chrisy relishes sharing this unique wealth of knowledge with our Clients.
Her professional experiences in the industry are many and varied, beginning with managing a charter company in New Zealand, yacht sales brokerages in Turkey, Mallorca and New Zealand, crewing on board yachts as a stewardess, and also in New Zealand as VIP/Hospitality Manager for two of the Volvo Ocean Race Auckland stopovers.
Chrisy’s role within Luxury Charter Group includes providing personalised itineraries to our clients, and background stories about charter destinations and luxury yachts. Among her administration duties are managing the website and being PA to Managing Director, Jeni Tidmarsh.
“Time spent on a yacht is special,” says Chrisy “You connect with your family and friends in a way that doesn’t happen on land, combining a range of experiences within one vacation: discovering remote hidden gems one day and celebrating in a five-star restaurant the next… walk on footprint-free beaches, wander through charming villages, sip a cocktail watching the sunset. I love helping our clients to enjoy that dream charter.”
