on 26 May 2020
Valle will combine management of Azimut and Benetti divisions
The Vitelli family and the Azimut Benetti SpA Board of Directors have announced that as of September 1, Marco Valle will become Group CEO, replacing Franco Fusignani as head of the Benetti Division. Fusignani, 75, will remain on the board of the Azimut Benetti Group. Valle is currently in charge of the Azimut Division, and after the change, will combine the Azimut and Benetti Divisions to ensure integrated business management, according to a statement.
“Marco Valle, who joined the company 25 years ago, has the full support of the Vitelli family and the Group’s Board of Directors in this new challenge, which he will no doubt rise to with the same spirit of success that has been a distinctive feature of his work, first as Azimut Yachts sales director and for the last four years as CEO of the Azimut division,” said Paolo Vitelli, founder and chairman of the Azimut Benetti Group.
“We would like to thank Franco for the great work he has done and continues to do in Benetti, and for his continued future presence in the Group. This continuity is thought to be important to tackle the new challenges of an evolving market and generational change in the current management team.”
Fusignani was appointed CEO of Benetti in the fall of 2018, after the departure of long-time CEO Vincenzo Poerio, who helped develop Benetti into one of the world’s most prolific superyacht builders. Azimut was founded in 1969 by Paolo Vitelli and in 1985, Azimut acquired the Benetti Shipyard.
At the end of 2019, Azimut Benetti Group was top ranked among superyacht builders, with 101 projects in build, and the Benetti Division launched its second superyacht over 100 metres, marking a new era for the yard.
Benetti has enjoyed considerable success in the Asia market. In June 2019, Benetti announced the sale of a 65-metre yacht to a Chinese client, with the yacht being the first sold by an Italian yard to fly the Chinese flag and be certified by the China Classification Society.
