Stefan Du Toit
Stefan du Toit knows how to complete the puzzle. However, the pieces he works with are unlike those of a jigsaw puzzle, with predetermined places. Rather, he finds creative ways to assemble various elements into a beautiful mosaic, each part a unique and valuable addition to the whole. Stefan is the CEO of Paradise Yacht Management and is an expert on strategy, integration and problem-solving. His worldly expertise in doing so is the result of a career that has taken him to several countries, continents, and industries. Stefan’s international experience includes hospitality, financial services, green economy, sports marketing and venture capital. He was part of a team that launched Africa’s first early-stage technology fund, helped expand Fancam (a sports media company) on five continents with properties including the Super Bowl and Daytona 500, and currently runs a yacht management company. Most recently, he was featured in a podcast discussing how to lead a remote team as a CEO.
Paradise Yacht Management offers customized yacht vacation experiences focused on exploring the islands with onboard fine dining and water-based adventures in the Caribbean. Their values, “honor, integrity, seeking knowledge, and having fun,” form the cornerstones of their company culture—one that sees its employees as the grout and mortar of the mosaic. “Our crews are the nucleus of our organization. It's extremely important to have a very high level of trust between company and crew, crew and guests, and with the yacht owners,” Stefan says. “We know that if we take care of our crew, our crew will take care of the guests, which takes care of our yacht owners.”
Drawn to PYM because of their people-centered culture, Stefan leverages his unique skill set to help the company grow with grace, implementing the ideas and lessons he’s learned along the way. “I'm a problem-solver and an integrator. My days are filled with a diverse combination of interactions. I love the people I work with, and the thing I enjoy most is aligning all those different processes and people, making sure that we can execute our vision,” he shares. “Our mission is to change thousands of lives and spread positive experiences around the world. We can do this because of our people, our systems, our culture, and our values.”
Stefan Du Toit
CEO — Paradise Yacht Management