My Experience Chairing the 8th RINA Yachting Seminar in Monaco

On February 19, 2026, at the Yacht Club de Monaco, I had the honor of serving as Chair for the 8th RINA Yachting Seminar: “Rethinking Yachting: at the helm of change”.

It was a privilege to open the event and introduce the esteemed speakers and moderators. Following my welcome remarks, Fiorenzo Spadoni took the floor to highlight RINA’s deep-rooted commitment to the yachting industry—a journey of excellence and dedication that has spanned over thirty years.

A sincere thank you to RINA for this significant opportunity to lead such a high-level technical dialogue. The afternoon featured remarkable insights across several specialized sessions:
• Refit for the Future: A deep dive into conversion case studies with Markus Aarnio (Foreship Ltd.) , Adam Lewis ( Fraser Yachts ) , Frank Jansen ( JMS Yachting, and Daniel Kuepfer (YANOVA ) – moderated by Andrea Venturelli .
• Regulatory Briefing: Essential updates on IMO and YSEC by Lorenzo Pollicardo ( Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) and Laura Occhiodoro .
• Innovation Sparks: Exploring emerging prototypes with Maria Fruzzetti and Renata Benkovic – moderated by Matteo Magherini.

The high level of audience engagement turned every session into a genuine exchange of ideas.
I concluded the day leading the final panel, “From Sporting Experience to Engineering Leadership,” with Edoardo Bianchi, CEO at Sangiorgio Marine . As both a sailor and an engineer, it was insightful to discuss how Edoardo’s Olympic background and naval engineering expertise converge in shipyard management, bridging high-performance racing culture and superyacht refit excellence.

The presence of Giosue’ Vezzuto, Executive Vice President Marine at RINA, further underscored the strategic importance and the attention RINA continues to dedicate to the yachting sector. At the end of the sessions, Giosuè joined us on stage to share his point of view on the afternoon’s discussions, enriching the summary of the day with a clear and valuable vision for the future of our industry.

#Yachting#Innovation#RINA#Engineering#Superyachts#Leadership