IYC Appoints Matthew Sainz Head of Project Management and Refit

IYC has appointed Matthew Sainz as Head of Project Management and Refit, strengthening the brokerage and management group's technical support for owners undertaking new-build and refit programmes. The appointment brings an experienced owner-side project specialist into a senior in-house role at a time when complex yacht construction increasingly requires continuity between design, engineering, yard oversight and post-delivery support.

From naval architecture to the shipyard floor

Sainz studied Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering at University College London before completing Yacht & Small Craft Design studies at the University of Southampton. He then moved into the Italian large-yacht sector, gaining practical experience across established shipyards and working through multiple stages of yacht design and construction rather than remaining within a single technical discipline.

That early yard experience was followed by roughly two decades working independently as a project manager, owner's representative and surveyor. IYC says his portfolio covers major new-builds and refits, giving him experience from concept development and engineering through construction supervision, acceptance, delivery and after-sales support.

Why owner representation matters during a build

A large-yacht project involves decisions that cross naval architecture, interior design, classification, machinery, budgets, schedules and operational requirements, and the owner does not necessarily have a direct line of sight into every technical trade-off. A project-management team provides that continuity, translating the owner's priorities into decisions that can be tracked through specification, construction and commissioning.

The same principle applies during refit, where existing systems, survey findings and changing owner requirements can make scope control more difficult than on a clean-sheet build. Sainz's combination of surveying and owner's-representative work gives IYC a technical lead accustomed to examining both what a yard proposes and how the finished work performs in service.

IYC expands the technical side of its client offering

The appointment adds a dedicated senior lead to IYC's project-management and refit capability alongside its brokerage, charter, management and new-construction services. For owners, the practical value will be measured by how effectively the team can maintain technical oversight and decision continuity across a project rather than treating the handover between purchase, construction and operation as separate transactions.

IYC's current profile for Sainz places him directly in the Head of Project Management and Refit role and highlights his experience across the full project lifecycle. Superyacht Guide has based this report on IYC's own appointment material and professional profile rather than third-party recruitment or industry reports.