About MAA

We provide effective, no-nonsense solutions to marine companies’ advertising, PR, media buying and marketing communication needs. Our straightforward, knowledgeable and service-orientated approach to business is welcomed by our clients. Our direct and relevant experience within the marine industry allows us to offer unrivalled value in helping our clients reach their target markets. (MAA was previously known as the Marine Advertising Agency).

Mike Shepherd

More about Mike

MAA is headed up by Mike Shepherd.

With a background in marine publishing, working in chandleries and as a sailing instructor, Mike launched the business in 2008 with a unique insight into all that is marine. Additionally, he has completed a full circumnavigation as watch leader on Liverpool Clipper, in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 2002/03.

Mike has competed at national and international level in dinghies and keel boats and currently races a Laser from Stokes Bay SC.

[email protected]

Emma Stanbury

More about Emma

Emma is responsible for all the media buying, both print and digital, at MAA as well as organising our annual press lunch and press dinner.

Emma comes from a customer service and office management background across a variety of industries. She has taken advantage of living so near to the Solent by learning to sail at Stokes Bay Sailing Club.

[email protected]

Zella Compton

More about Zella

Zella comes from a background in public relations and journalism and looks after all the PR and content creation, both consumer and business to business at MAA. Zella started her career in the building industry, before editing trade and consumer titles for various publishing houses. She writes a weekly column for The Portsmouth News and has been extensively published in national press including The Times.

Delighted to be working in the marine industry; she learnt to sail on the Hamble and has crewed in multiple offshore races, Zella has a particular interest in the marine environment, and the battle to end single use plastics.

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Gina Groom

More about Gina

Gina joined the MAA team in 2016 to liaise with clients and media/publishing houses to ensure smooth delivery of promotional material and advertising.

Gina started her career in customer services but soon moved to the IT department at Lewmar where she spent a number of years. She is a member of Stokes Bay Sailing Club where, having previously crewed dinghies, she is now taking control and helming them.

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Darren Holloway

More about Darren

Darren looks after all the MAA team’s technical and IT requirements.

Darren worked at a British Gas Call Centre in Southampton for ten years, before deciding to apply to Southampton Solent University to study a degree in Software Engineering. Completing his degree has allowed him to move into a new career of programming using the latest in web technology.

[email protected]

Anna Dent

More about Anna

Anna is responsible for MAA's accounts and office admin, having worked in a similar role for the University of Portsmouth, in the public sector and as a volunteer with the NCT.

Anna would like to get back into sailing now that her young son is growing up as she used to crew on Fireballs having grown up by the water in Hamble.

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Jo Shepherd

More about Jo

Jo joined MAA in September 2017, having been involved as a shareholder before that. She is primarily responsible for maintaining the MAA databases to GDPR standards.

Jo brings with her transferable skills from a background in Quality Assurance in international pharmaceutical development companies.

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Steve Davies

More about Steve

Creative ideas come naturally for Steve Davies. Steve has worked for a number of local and national design agencies producing award winning work for a diverse range of businesses. He has also produced ideas and designs on a freelance basis for many leading advertising agencies.

Steve holds a First Class BA in English and Art from the University of Chichester which has helped him fuse innovative headlines and copy with bold layouts and designs.

Anna Cummins

More about Anna

Anna has worked as a journalist for several lifestyle, travel and news outlets, producing in-depth features from across Asia and Europe over the past decade, and developing a particular knowledge of the marine industry in recent years. With a degree in biological sciences, she is particularly interested in uncovering how the industry is working to protect vital marine habitats and reduce pollution.

[email protected]

Nina Done

More about Nina

Growing up in the vibrant sailing community of the solent, Nina developed an early love for the ocean that would shape her future. Transitioning from the fast-paced hub of London to the decks of super yachts as a chief stewardess, she honed her expertise cruising some of the most sought-after locations in the world. Armed with a first-class writing degree, Nina then took on the role of Editor at a renowned superyacht news outlet, crafting narratives that captured the essence of luxury living. Now, Nina brings this rich maritime background to the world of marketing at MAA, infusing campaigns with a deep understanding of the marine industry alongside her meticulous attention to detail.

[email protected]

Chantal Haines

More about Chantal

Chantal has written for leading marine magazines and websites for the past 15 years and became editor of MIN in 2021.

Chantal started her career in the B2B publishing industry, before moving into consumer journalism and becoming chief sub editor at Motor Boat & Yachting.

She has worked with leading boatbuilders as a content creator and has been published extensively in the national press including in the Independent and the British Travel Journal.

Together with an in-depth knowledge of the leisure marine industry, Chantal has a particular interest in electric boating and sustainability.

[email protected]

our clients

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	1 year	Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
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Cookie	Duration	Description
__utma	2 years	This cookie is set by Google Analytics and is used to distinguish users and sessions. The cookie is created when the JavaScript library executes and there are no existing __utma cookies. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.
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__utmt	10 minutes	Google Analytics sets this cookie to inhibit request rate.
__utmz	6 months	Google Analytics sets this cookie to store the traffic source or campaign by which the visitor reached the site.

Cookie	Duration	Description
_ga	2 years	The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_63360177_17	1 minute	This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users.
_ga_Q67Y5V0EV6	2 years	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
_gid	1 day	Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
__gads	1 year 24 days	The __gads cookie, set by Google, is stored under DoubleClick domain and tracks the number of times users see an advert, measures the success of the campaign and calculates its revenue. This cookie can only be read from the domain they are set on and will not track any data while browsing through other sites.

Cookie	Duration	Description
ANONCHK	10 minutes	The ANONCHK cookie, set by Bing, is used to store a user's session ID and also verify the clicks from ads on the Bing search engine. The cookie helps in reporting and personalization as well.
MUID	1 year 24 days	Bing sets this cookie to recognize unique web browsers visiting Microsoft sites. This cookie is used for advertising, site analytics, and other operations.
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Cookie	Duration	Description
CLID	1 year	No description
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SRM_B	1 year 24 days	No description available.
_clck	1 year	No description
_clsk	1 day	No description
__gpi	1 year 24 days	No description