The annual general assembly of the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) took place on 26 September 2016, traditionally prior to the Monaco Yacht Show at the Yacht Club de Monaco. The assembly saw the Superyacht Builders Association elect its new board and take a number of important decisions.
Billy Smith (Trinity Yachts) and Koos Zitman (Feadship) have handed over their positions on the SYBAss board after respectively 3 and 2 board terms. Two new board members have been elected to serve on the board, with its sitting members re-elected. “I am pleased to announce that Michelle Jones, Director of Marketing at Delta Marine and Jan-Bart Verkuyl, CEO of Feadship – Royal Van Lent Shipyard have joined the SYBAss Board,” commented SYBAss Secretary General Theo Hooning. “In its new formation the board continues to reflect the global reach and influence of the SYBAss members.”
The SYBAss board 2016 – 2019 includes: Michael Breman (Lürssen Yachts), Fabrizio Sgariglia (Perini Navi), Vincenzo Poerio (Benetti), Michelle Jones (Delta Marine), Jan-Bart Verkuyl (Feadship) and Theo Hooning (Secretary General).
A major decision taken at the meeting concerns a new direction for ‘The Superyacht Life’ programme. The assembly decided to continue the initiative by making ‘The Superyacht Life’ a separate entity, allowing for the possibility that in the future companies that are not members of SYBAss could also become involved. Hooning explains: “Our first task will be to define a roadmap and a vision that plots out the future direction of the initiative. This step we are taking would allow for combining the strengths of different companies, to collectively promote the unrivalled superyacht lifestyle to UHNWIs not yet engaged in yachting”.
Another important development is the formation of the SYBAss Sustainability Committee. This committee aims to develop a global superyacht agenda on sustainability that advocates the industry’s best practices and stay ahead of legislation by combining its innovative strength and coordinating the collective efforts in this field.
On the eve of the Monaco Yacht Show, the SYBAss members are looking forward to the new yacht show season. SYBAss, which will be celebrating its 10th birthday in 2017, continues to serve its members by ensuring that the interests of superyacht builders are given the priority they deserve in the key areas of regulations, promotion and professionalism, thereby supporting the future development of its members and the wider superyacht industry.