ABOUT
Discipline learned
at sea.
HELM was founded on the operational standards of the superyacht industry — an environment where the vessel is maintained to exacting specification, regardless of whether anyone is aboard.
On a vessel, there is no such thing as reactive maintenance. Every system is monitored, every surface held to standard, every detail logged. That discipline — applied to land-based property — is what HELM brings to its clients.
OUR APPROACH
Hugo Thomas
Founder, HELM
About Me.
THE PERSON BEHIND HELM
I didn't set out to start
a business. I set out to find
the right work.
"I like to leave things in a better condition than I found them. That isn't a method — it's just how I am."
Founder, HELM
I was born in Oxford and grew up between there and the South of France — an early life that gave me a deep appreciation for well-kept places and the beautiful architecture and designs which instilled the confidence to get things done properly. I moved to Devon in 2021 and haven't wanted to leave since. The coastline, the pace, the community — it suits the kind of life I want to build.
Before HELM, I spent thirteen years onboard some of the finest Super Yachts on the water in one of the most demanding environments I know for the care of a significant asset. Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, twelve Atlantic crossings, complex shipyard periods, Lloyd's refits and surveys. The standard expected on a vessel of that calibre is total. Nothing is left to chance, and nothing is left for later.
TRAINING
AT SEA
YM offshore C/E
Yacht Management
Fine furniture Design / making
13 years
BACKGROUND
First Mate , Royal Huisman, Perini Navi
BASED
Devon, Since 2021
I founded HELM because that standard — the systems, the preventative thinking, the obsession with presentation and condition — belongs on land just as much as it does at sea. I grew up working on renovations with my father, trained as a fine furniture maker, and was exposed to high-end decorators and building firms in London. I care about craft, about quality, and about leaving things in better condition than I found them.
I now have a young family here in Devon, and HELM is built around the life I want for them — and the standard of service I want for my clients. The two are not in conflict. They are the same thing.