https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/luxury/article/giovanna-vitelli-azimut-benetti-interview-times-luxury-jp7jsrvsn

At the helm of the most powerful empire in yachting, Vitelli is determined to make boats greener. Stewart Campbell meets her

From left: Giovanna Vitelli; the Benetti B.Now 50m Alunya with an Oasis Deck

BREEDMEDIA, Stewart Campbell, Saturday November 02 2024, 12.01am, The Times

Giovanna Vitelli’s apprenticeship was more intense than most. She remembers travelling the world as a child with her father, Paolo Vitelli, as he opened new yacht dealerships and manufacturing sites. At six years old she was given a blank sheet of paper and asked to write down everything she thought was wrong with a boat as she toured it. “Then when I was taken to the shipyard on the next visit, you can imagine how happy I was when something that I had written down was incorporated into the next unit,” she says.

Now, Vitelli, 49, sits atop the biggest empire in yachting as the chairwoman of Azimut Benetti, the enterprise founded by her father. The company has reported revenues of €1.3 billion for the past year, has an order book valued at €2.6 billion, employs 2,500 people and for nearly 25 years has produced more superyachts than any other shipyard in the world.

It is not an inheritance for which Vitelli campaigned. She trained as a lawyer and worked in Milan and New York before her father called in 2000, when the yachting industry was booming, to say he was entertaining offers for the company. “That was the moment when I thought I cannot let the company go without even trying,” Vitelli says. She moved back to Italy and gave herself a year. “It was not taken for granted that the relationship with my father would be good. He is known to be a tough guy who is very demanding of himself and the people around him. We didn’t know if we would be good together, but as you see, I’m still here!” She finally took the reins from her father in 2023, the same year the Vitellis sold a minority stake to the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

View Azimut Yachts For Sale

• Ten of the world’s biggest superyachts: beasts of the ocean

The most powerful woman in yachting masks her authority with modesty and smiles quickly, belying a rhino hide hard won in the extremely male-centred environment of Italy’s shipyards. During her 20-odd years in various leadership roles at Azimut Benetti, Vitelli has always pushed for change. She acknowledges that it is a team job, but there is no denying her influence in modernising the company’s offering, despite initial resistance from some of her older colleagues.

“I remember meetings at the beginning: they would look at me like I was just ‘the daughter of’,” she says. “It took me years to show that I was saying something not completely stupid and that the market was following me.” Vitelli drew outside the lines deliberately and imported designers from the world of high-end real estate, such as Bonetti/Kozerski, to broaden the brand’s appeal and capture a younger demographic. In particular its Oasis Deck models, where interior and exterior spaces are blurred and guests can stroll to the water on successive terraces, were runaway successes.

Today her focus is future-proofing the company’s ranges by targeting a new generation of buyers who have grown up during the electric era. She recounts a story about a potential client telling her he was thinking about buying a boat from another shipyard, “but then the 20-year-old daughter said, ‘No, we should go with Azimut because they are truly investing in green technology.’ That was the sign for me that the new generation are much more aware of their impact. They will be future owners and they are already important stakeholders in their families.”

• How to sail on a superyacht at a fraction of the cost

Vitelli acknowledges that there is no magic bullet for reducing a yacht’s emissions but believes a range of solutions and technologies can lower the carbon bill collectively. Among these is the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil, a biofuel that does not require expensive re-engineering of the boats and can reduce emissions by up to 90 per cent. She is also investing in more efficient hull shapes, lighter build materials such as carbon fibre, and solar power.

She has piled all this thinking into the new Seadeck range, which uses recycled materials in construction, hybrid power and cork instead of teak on the decks. It’s the most “Giovanna-ed” series to leave the shipyard. She has recently taken delivery of a Seadeck 7, and she spent a large chunk of this summer cruising in the smaller Seadeck 6. Anyone who has been at anchor in a traditional boat will know that the peace is often interrupted by the background thrum of a generator, but these yachts can operate on batteries for eight hours, with no combustion required. The set-up is completed by an electric tender that can be charged by the mothership’s solar panels.

View Azimut Seadeck 6 Yacht For Sale

Like father to daughter, it’s now daughter to son: Vitelli’s 19-year-old son earned his boat licence before his driving licence, she says, which she takes as a good sign. She will encourage him to find his own path, just as she did, but will leave a door open in case he finds his way back to the family business. “It’s one thing loving yachts, and quite another managing a company of 2,500 people,” she says.

Azimut Yachts, one of the world’s leading yacht manufacturers, is celebrated for its Italian-inspired designs, state-of-the-art engineering, and dedication to luxury. With over 100 years of experience in the marine industry, Bates Wharf Marine Sales has become a household name for those looking to buy or sell boats in the UK.

Meet the team and view the fleet, call 01489 576888 for your private viewing.

Azimut Yachts For Sale In Southampton: