When requested about his tasks as CEO of each Sanlorenzo Asia Pacific and Simpson Marine, Daniele Lucà explains: “Following Sanlorenzo’s acquisition of a majority stake in Simpson Marine, my position now encompasses full regional accountability for the Group’s actions in Asia Pacific, overseeing each the event of the Group’s yacht manufacturers and the continued evolution of the Simpson Marine enterprise on this new part.”
From a company standpoint, Simpson Marine Restricted is the authorized entity controlling all Group corporations working within the area. From a enterprise and communication perspective, the Group’s actions in Asia Pacific are performed underneath the umbrella of Sanlorenzo Asia Pacific, which serves as the principle regional platform and model structure for the yacht enterprise throughout APAC markets, reflecting the construction adopted within the Americas with Sanlorenzo of the Americas and within the Mediterranean with Sanlorenzo Med.
Inside this framework, Sanlorenzo Asia Pacific brings collectively the Group’s yacht manufacturers Sanlorenzo, Bluegame and Nautor Swan alongside the Simpson Marine model, which continues to function as a key business and companies platform, representing Axopar and delivering brokerage, constitution, after-sales, yacht administration and yacht care companies throughout all manufacturers.
Lucà reviews on to Massimo Perotti, Government Chairman of Sanlorenzo, having previously served as Gross sales Director of Sanlorenzo’s Yacht Enterprise Unit from 2023, a job by which he led business operations within the EMEA, APAC, NAFTA and LATAM markets, and oversaw growth of the gross sales and distribution community.
What led you to simply accept the position of CEO of Sanlorenzo Asia Pacific and Simpson Marine?
Three causes guided my determination. Firstly, I’m motivated by missions that require depth, braveness and long-term imaginative and prescient. This position is about guiding the mixing of an organization (Simpson Marine) with greater than 40 years of historical past and greater than 100 professionals throughout 10 international locations and cultures, accompanying them into a brand new chapter inside a worldwide, publicly-listed organisation (Sanlorenzo). Inspiring a various staff via such a metamorphosis is a significant problem for a pacesetter.
The second motive was the area’s potential. APAC is among the most compelling luxurious markets on the planet. The folks at Simpson Marine possess extraordinary market information. When mixed with Sanlorenzo’s product excellence and model philosophy, the expansion alternative is exceptional. Considered one of our missions is to soak up and translate the deep market intelligence of APAC into the broader Sanlorenzo technique, contributing to the evolution of our Group into a really world organisation.
The final issue was private. Transferring to Hong Kong with my household meant stepping outdoors our consolation zone, embracing uncertainty and increasing our horizon of experiences.
How effectively do you know the Asia-Pacific area earlier than transferring to Hong Kong?
After I was Gross sales Director of Sanlorenzo’s Yacht Division, Asia Pacific was already a part of my world scope. Nevertheless, it’s not a area to actually perceive from afar. Its constellation of cultures, expectations and dynamics requires immersion.
Along with your Government MBA and banking, automotive and vitality background, what strengths do you carry to this position?
My EMBA and my profession outdoors the yachting business have formed abilities I take into account helpful for this early chapter of Sanlorenzo Asia Pacific. My management philosophy outcomes from experiences throughout industries, continents and cultures.
Early in my profession, funding banking in New York taught me self-discipline, analytical precision and efficiency underneath stress. Years within the automotive sector at FCA (Fiat Chrysler Vehicles) and Volkswagen had been an distinctive managerial college, exposing me to complexity, scale, world product growth, transformation processes and multicultural management.
Working within the vitality transition sector strengthened my strategic sensitivity towards sustainability, innovation and long-term worth creation. In these roles, I led world enterprise growth initiatives, managed M&As, joint ventures and strategic partnerships, and navigated organisational ecosystems.
The flexibility to combine views, construct belief and harmonise cultures is most related as Simpson Marine evolves inside the Sanlorenzo Group and as we strengthen our presence in APAC. My EMBA provides one other dimension. Finding out and dealing alongside professionals from 27 international locations taught me humility, adaptability and resilience.
At Sanlorenzo, working immediately with Mr Perotti has uncovered me to a singular mix of entrepreneurial intuition, inventive imaginative and prescient and long-term perspective. For the primary time, I might carry my worldwide expertise into an entrepreneurial context that values instinct as a lot as evaluation, craftsmanship and innovation.
The strengths I carry to Sanlorenzo Asia Pacific embody strategic readability, human management, world sensitivity and an unwavering deal with shopper expertise as we enter a part of accelerated development and integration within the area.
According to this imaginative and prescient, Sanlorenzo Asia Pacific will turn out to be the primary area within the Group to introduce a part fully devoted to Buyer Expertise. We anticipate this new forward-looking journey of possession to be a singular mannequin not solely inside Sanlorenzo but additionally in the whole yachting business.
Final yr, Sanlorenzo celebrated 20 years underneath Massimo Perotti’s possession. Are you able to define the change he has orchestrated?
It was a rare milestone. It was additionally the popularity of a profound organisational and cultural transformation.
In 2005, Sanlorenzo generated about €40 million, producing a handful of yachts every year with a business presence restricted to some international locations. For 2025, we approached the brink for the entire Group of EUR 1 billion, organically. That is the affirmation of an identification constructed on timeless design, artisanal mastery and a philosophy of significant shortage.
Each Sanlorenzo yacht is uniquely customised via its format, structural decor, gentle decor and furnishings, and technically, as an expression of its proprietor. Wanting ahead, our route is obvious: to proceed to embrace managed manufacturing volumes, iconic designs supposed to face the take a look at of many years and a strengthened world footprint. APAC performs a central position on this technique.
In 2025, Sanlorenzo additionally celebrated 10 years of presence in APAC via our partnership with Simpson Marine. I’m satisfied that APAC can double its relevance inside three years, and attain ranges corresponding to EMEA gross sales in 5 to 10 years. It’s an formidable imaginative and prescient however fully attainable given the momentum of the area and the extraordinary calibre of our native groups.
How effectively does the Sanlorenzo Asia Pacific staff perceive the manufacturers?
The staff actually understands our manufacturers and embodies their essence. Representing Sanlorenzo, Bluegame and Swan will not be merely a business accountability. It requires sophistication, self-discipline and a cultural alignment per working on the very prime of the business. Our position now’s to information the organisation via a refined evolution of focus, as these three manufacturers are our strategic precedence and platform for development.
As any organisation evolves, it turns into evident who’s absolutely aligned with its requirements and long-term route. Representing a model like Sanlorenzo requires coherence, depth and a refined sensitivity to the expectations in working on the pinnacle of the business. Because the bar rises, not each path continues – a wholesome a part of refining an organisation that aspires to excellence.
Guaranteeing that the staff displays the ambition, identification and values of the Group is important for constructing a stronger future and some of the strategic levers on this new chapter. A pacesetter has the accountability to substantiate and elevate the folks aligned with the long run imaginative and prescient of the corporate.
We additionally place nice emphasis on nurturing the following era of expertise. Excellence will not be solely one thing we anticipate but additionally one thing we domesticate. We spend money on younger professionals, guiding them via publicity to excessive requirements and disciplined growth to allow them to turn out to be the leaders of tomorrow inside the Sanlorenzo ecosystem.
Right now, the staff in place is cohesive, targeted and profoundly aligned with the Sanlorenzo ethos. The momentum achieved in 2025 was considerably forward of 2024.
What’s your impression of Australia’s potential for Sanlorenzo?
It’s some of the refined yachting markets in APAC. Homeowners perceive the product, worth high quality and make knowledgeable decisions grounded in deep maritime tradition.
For Sanlorenzo, Bluegame and Swan, the potential is important. It’s a market the place credibility have to be earned, competitors is established and visibility is excessive. Success requires humility, consistency and long-term dedication.
We’re increasing our staff in Sydney, Perth, the Gold Coast and Melbourne and deepening our service community. Our early homeowners are extraordinarily happy and our first ambassadors. Belief, as soon as established, is exceptionally highly effective. Australia stays a strategic precedence for us within the subsequent two years.
Past Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, which APAC markets have probably the most potential?
Australia, Japan and Indonesia stand out. We additionally see alternatives at a extra gradual tempo in Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Traditionally, Hong Kong represents our most vital market in Asia, and advantages from mainland China having 20 per cent of the world’s high-net-worth people [according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority report in August 2025], a longtime tradition of cruising, infrastructure for yachting, and recognition with mainland China patrons and customers.
What are your hopes for Nautor Swan in APAC?
Swan is a central pillar of our 2026 technique. The model’s identification is grounded in magnificence, efficiency, innovation and reliability, resonating deeply with the values of the Sanlorenzo universe.
The model’s presence in APAC is uneven, however we see robust potential in markets with established yachting cultures resembling Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. In November [2025], we hosted the primary Swan Asian Regatta in Japan, supported by an distinctive native seller (Riviera Group).
A key a part of our technique is to carry the Swan crusing expertise on to purchasers in APAC, via new native occasions and by involving them in Swan regattas world wide. Experiencing the spirit, heritage and aggressive magnificence of Swan firsthand is probably the most highly effective solution to perceive the model’s magic.
What are your ideas on Axopar?
It performs a significant, clever position in our ecosystem. Its vary suits naturally inside the life-style of a lot of our homeowners. It’s usually used as a assist vessel for bigger yachts, and gives a refined, accessible entry level for these beginning their journey in boating.
What else ought to readers learn about you and Sanlorenzo APAC?
Firstly, our momentum. Our 2025 order consumption accelerated with a energy and scale that considerably exceeded 2024’s efficiency – a sign of the profitable mixture of the Group’s technique and regional execution.
APAC is turning into an more and more related contributor to the Group’s world efficiency. In comparison with some rivals within the area, we’re experiencing double-digit development year-on-year.
This is because of new fashions being launched, the additional opening of our APAC market, and the standard of buyer satisfaction because the circle of people that personal Sanlorenzo yachts advocate our yachts and our service. Right now, our after-sales service is incomparably elevated. The staff now we have [across the region] is what has made APAC’s year-on-year development potential.
The second is our dedication to folks. We’ll proceed to develop in 2026, however by no means on the expense of wellbeing. I imagine that this can be a foundational driver of efficiency, readability and endurance. An organization stands on the standard and resilience of its folks.
In 2026, we launch one of many first complete company wellbeing programmes within the yachting business, right here in APAC. Management right this moment will not be solely about guiding but additionally caring. The long run belongs to organisations the place folks can thrive, not merely ship. Wellbeing is the accountability of each fashionable CEO.
apac.sanlorenzoyacht.com
simpsonmarine.com
Interview: Andrew Dembina; Photographs: Simpson Marine & As Credited
This text was first seen on YACHT STYLE
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