Richard Higgins is a Senior Yacht Broker at Northrop & Johnson's Monaco office, where he specialises in high-value yacht transactions across the sale and new build markets. With nearly two decades of experience in the international yachting industry — spanning three continents and markets from the Mediterranean to the Americas — he is regarded as one of the sector's most capable negotiators for complex, confidential, and off-market deals.
Richard grew up learning to sail in Southampton and began his professional career as crew aboard an 85-foot sailing yacht in Australia. After a period working in the defence industry in London, he relocated to the South of France in 2010, joining what was then Camper & Nicholsons before eventually moving to Northrop & Johnson in Monaco.
His transaction record includes some of the more significant deals in recent brokerage history. In 2024, he represented the buyer in the acquisition of Alfa Nero — the 82-metre Oceanco — a sale described at the time as one of the most complex in the market, involving the resolution of liens, encumbrances, and a two-year detention period in Antigua. The deal completed within ten days of the vessel receiving clean title.
"Not everyone can land a blue whale deal. It takes a lot of time, a lot of experience and a bit of luck." — Richard Higgins, Superyacht Investor, 2024
Previous notable transactions include the 95-metre Blohm & Voss Palladium (2022). Richard works across the full vessel size range represented in the Northrop & Johnson portfolio, with particular depth in mega and superyacht sales above 40 metres.
He is based at the Monaco office in Le Panorama, 57 Rue Grimaldi, and operates across European and international markets.