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It is in the nautical world theentrepreneur of the year according to EY, an auditing and accounting organization company with offices around the world. Winning this important award was Giovanna Vitelli, president of the Azimut|Benetti Group, who was honored for the direction given to the investments of the group she leads: innovation and sustainability, not just profitability. The award given by EY, a world leader in auditing and accounting organization services, loves also in tax and legal assistance, transaction and consulting, is now in its 27th edition and each year rewards Italian entrepreneurs who through their work have been able to contribute not only to the economic, social and environmental growth of their companies, but also to that of Italy. The official motivation that accompanied Giovanna Vitelli ‘s award is for “having been able to direct the company, not only to growth in size and profitability, but for having alsoinspired technological changes, projects focused on sustainability, employee welfare and corporate social responsibility.” And indeed, the Azimut|Benetti Group has distinguished itself on these aspects in recent years.
Let’s start with the first: growth in size and profitability.Investment in the improvement and expansion of production facilities, with more workers involved, has led Azimut|Benetti to develop larger, innovative and technologically advanced yachts, involving several architects and creative people in the design and development of the new concept yachts. This positive trend goes hand in hand with that of revenues, which stood at 1.3 billion euros in the last fiscal year, a 55 percent growth over the past four years.
The investment in human resources is also evidenced by the birth of the Azimut|Benetti Group Corporate Academy, a point of reference for the training and professional growth of people and support for theentry of young people into the nautical world, who here can learn the company’s “know-how” and carry forward its technological, engineering and manufacturing excellence.
We come to the area of sustainability. Here Azimut can boast – to date – the industry’s best achievements in reducing emissions. The work done by the company, in collaboration with external bodies and universities, includes not only the adoption of hybrid propulsion and new solutions for on-board energy management, but also goes through a review of the design of new boats, with – for example – an increasingly important reduction in weight and the development of new high-efficiency hulls. Joining the board of the family company in 2000 after practicing law in corporate matters, Giovanna Vitelli has over the years taken the lead in product development within Azimut|Benetti, a group of which she has been president since 2023. “I believe this award represents recognition for the achievements of the entire companyin accompanying shipowners to a new era and a new way of experiencing the sea,” comments Giovanna Vitelli, president of the Azimut|Benetti Group.
He adds, “As a family business, we have the privilege of looking far ahead and creating value over time.Today, this means striving to lower emissions to make the boating world more sustainable, inspiring other players in the industry as well. Most importantly, it means continuing to combine the greatest beauty with the most sophisticated technology.My thanks go to the2250 people around the world who work in the Azimut|Benetti Group and who, together with me, continue to chart the course.”
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