Boats Group Appoints OpenAI Executive Brandon McGraw to Board of Directors

Technology leader brings deep AI and growth expertise as Boats Group advances its next phase of innovation

MIAMI, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Boats Group, the technology company behind the marine industry's leading digital marketplaces, including Boat Trader, YachtWorld, and boats.com, today announced the appointment of Brandon McGraw as a non-executive director on its Board of Directors.

McGraw brings extensive experience at the intersection of artificial intelligence, product development, and consumer technology. In his current role as Interim CMO, Consumer & Hardware Marketing at OpenAI, he leads the commercial and brand strategy for the company's consumer applications and hardware.

Before joining OpenAI, McGraw served as Head of Consumer Marketing at Anthropic and co-founded Reflective Works, an AI-powered personal intelligence company. His earlier career includes senior product and marketing leadership roles at DoorDash, Twitch, Meta, and Google.

"Brandon has spent his career building transformative products and helping some of the world's most influential technology companies navigate defining moments in their growth," said Patrick Kolek, Chief Executive Officer of Boats Group. "His perspective will be incredibly valuable as we scale new capabilities across our global marketplaces and position Boats Group for its next chapter."

McGraw's appointment comes as Boats Group expands its use of AI across its consumer marketplaces and professional tools. Most recently, the company integrated YachtWorld and Boat Trader into ChatGPT, creating a new conversational channel for boat discovery. Boats Group has also introduced Listing Optimizer, which uses proprietary marketplace data and buyer behavior insights to help sellers improve listing performance, and the Market Evaluation Tool, which combines active and sold listing data to support pricing and inventory decisions.

"Boats Group is a category leader with a strong foundation, an ambitious team, and a clear appetite to keep evolving," said McGraw. "What excites me is the opportunity to help shape what comes next for a company with global scale, unique data, and an important role in the marine industry. I'm thrilled to join the Board and support Pat and the team through this next phase of innovation and growth."

"Brandon's appointment reflects the Board's commitment to ensuring Boats Group has the experience and perspective needed for its next stage of growth," said Jacob Aqraou, Chairman of the Board of Boats Group. "His understanding of how technology is developed, brought to market, and adopted at scale will be a valuable addition as the company continues to evolve."

About Boats Group

Boats Group operates the world's leading online marketplaces for buying and selling boats, including Boat Trader, YachtWorld, and boats.com. With a global audience of millions of boat buyers, Boats Group provides data-driven marketing solutions, AI-driven tools, financing services, and industry insights to help OEMs, dealers, and brokers maximize their sales potential.

Press Contact:
Courtney Chalmers
Chief Brand & Communications Officer, Boats Group
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-877-354-4069

SOURCE Boats Group