British boatbuilder Sunseeker International named Christian Marti CEO. He replaces Phil Popham, who left Sunseeker at the end of September.

Marti joins the builder from Aston Martin, where he was chief sales officer and vice president for the luxury automaker.

An automotive industry veteran, he has more than 18 years of senior management experience across European and Asian markets with such luxury brands as Jaguar Land Rover and McLaren.

“We are delighted to welcome Christian to Sunseeker International,” said John Zeng, Dalian Wanda’s board representative for Sunseeker, in a statement. “He has an impressive and proven track record of growing the financial performance of major manufacturing businesses and a strong affinity for global luxury brands.

“Christian joins us at a crucial time for Sunseeker as we move into our next phase of growth, and I have no doubt he will help us build upon the incredible work already undertaken by the team in achieving a remarkable business turnaround in record time,” Zeng added.

“The business has recently embarked on a five-year growth strategy, and the company is sitting on its strongest ever order book, with continued investment in new product and facilities at the heart of the business plan,” Marti said. “I look forward to working with the Sunseeker team on the future opportunities to grow this already outstanding, world-famous luxury brand.”

The boatbuilder also announced new flagship that will launch in 2021. It will be Sunseeker’s first aluminum yacht, built in collaboration with Dutch builder ICON.