Meet the 26 speakers at the 2016 Superyacht Design Symposium

PLENARY SESSION SPEAKER: What has a superyacht got in common with a warship? Why should we care?

Anthony Rix retired as a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy in 2009. In his 34 year career in the RN he commanded 2 major warships and led national and multi-national operations across the globe. He also served in the UK’s Royal Yacht, HMY Britannia.

From 2004 to 2009 he specialised in counter-terrorism and counter-piracy operations in the Mediterranean and Middle East. On leaving the RN he set up and ran a highly successful Maritime Security company based in London with operations in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Guinea and Far East.

He now works as a Director for MAST, a leading international maritime security company based in the UK. He also advises a number of other companies focused on innovative security solutions for Superyachts and commercial clients.

Anthony welcomes the opportunity to join everyone at Boat International’s Superyacht Design Symposium 2016 and looks forward to what will undoubtedly be a useful meeting.

PLENARY SESSION SPEAKER: Superyacht Owner Panel

Dr. Alexander Rosa-Alscher studied “Business administration of structure” and “Building construction of architecture” in the cities of Regensburg, Munich, Berlin and Budapest.

Dr. Rosa-Alscher is the owner of the Rosa-Alscher Group, which formed in 2006. The Group achieves remarkable architecture under one brand and distributes all the real estate expertise among its independent companies. It enriches the creative processes with experience and quality.

Before placing the order for motor yacht Noga as a 100pz custom built vessel, Dr. Rosa-Alscher was the previous owner of five other super yachts.

PLENARY SESSION SPEAKER: Form vs Function

Stefan Sielaff joined Bentley Motors in July 2015 from his previous role as Design Director at the Volkswagen Design Center, Potsdam.

Stefan first joined the Volkswagen Group in1990 as an interior designer for Audi in Ingolstadt. His career then took him to Barcelona where he became Head of Interior Design at the VW Group Design Center, Europe. Between 1997 and 2003, Stefan returned to Audi where he held the position of Head of Interior Design.

After a brief spell with DaimlerChrysler, where he was Head of the Interior Design Competence Center, Stefan returned to Ingolstadt in 2006 to become Design Director at Audi, a position he held up until 2012. It was here that Stefan led a team of over 350 design experts with responsibility for exterior, interior and colour and trim design for the full Audi range, concept and show cars.

Alongside his current lead role at Bentley, Stefan is also Head of Group Interior Design Strategy, Volkswagen AG.

Stefan, who was born in Munich, achieved a master’s degree in vehicle design at the world renowned Royal College of Art. He studied at the famous London institute with an Audi scholarship.

PLENARY SESSION SPEAKER: Form vs Function

Andrew Winch has been in the specialist yacht design environment for over thirty years. Having grown up sailing on the south coast of England in dinghies and cruising yachts, his love of the sea embodies all of his work. Formal training at St Martins’ School of Art, London and Kingston College of Art laid the foundations for his career. This was followed by a year sailing as a crew member across the Atlantic and in the Caribbean on a private 52 foot sailing yacht.

On his return he joined Jon Bannenberg Ltd as an apprentice designer. Here he learned his trade and went on to collaborate with Bannenberg on four major sailing yachts; Shirley B (80ft), Acharne (112ft Huisman), Garuda (102ft Nautor custom) and Starlight (94ft).

In 1986, Andrew launched “Winch Design” with his wife Jane. Since its foundation, the studio has delivered 75 super yachts including both sailing and motor yacht projects – and has won over 30 prestigious awards from the leading awards bodies. With dedicated Exterior and Interior Yacht design departments and a highly experienced decorating team, AWD offers its clients a fully turnkey design package. The studio’s 2013 deliveries include  Madame Gu (99m Feadship), Sea Owl (62m Feadship) and Inoui (33m Vitters).

Andrew places great importance on nurturing and developing the AWD team. Based in a converted fire station on the banks of the Thames in London, the AWD team of 70 people (who hail from all over the world) is today recognised as one of the leading International Design Studios.

PLENARY SESSION SPEAKER: What is the new luxury?

Richard Woolley is the Studio Director for Design Research and Special Vehicle Operations, working under the direction of Gerry McGovern Jaguar Land Rover board member and Land Rover’s Chief Creative Officer.

Richard started his career in the UK, completing studies at Swansea University College of Art and Design before taking on his first design role at Airbus Industrie in Hamburg, Germany.

His career at Land Rover began in 1985, when he worked for the Rover Group on numerous passenger vehicle programmes including Rover, MG, MINI, and Land Rover vehicles. During this period he also worked in Tokyo, Japan and Munich, Germany.

After a period working in Detroit for Ford Design North America, Richard returned to the UK to take up the role of Studio Director within Land Rover. His significant design achievements upon his return included the 2003 Range Stormer concept, 2004 Range Rover Sport, 2007 Freelander, and 2009 Range Rover. Under Gerry McGovern’s overall leadership, he also directed the design team working on the all-new 2012 Range Rover.

Richard leads a team of creative designers who are developing future technologies and looking at other product opportunities for Land Rover. This includes design responsibility for the Special Vehicle Operations business within Land Rover, which develops high-end luxury bespoke and extreme performance vehicles, including the Range Rover SVAutobiography and the Range Rover Sport SVR.

In his spare time, Richard enjoys all aspects of design, travel and music. He has a great interest in rugby & football with a particular passion for his national side Wales. He is married with one daughter and lives in Warwickshire.

Fred van Beers has been the CEO of Blohm + Voss since March 2015 and has held senior leadership positions in the maritime industry for more than 15 years. Fred joined Blohm+Voss from his former position as Vice President Services Northern Europe at Wärtsilä, the global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the maritime industry and energy markets with a presence in more than 70 countries.

Fred van Beers is a qualified ship engineer, went to sea for four years, and has led all stages of design, engineering, production and aftermarket services. He has a proven track record in delivering profitable sales growth. Throughout his career at Wärtsilä and his positions in various maritime industry organisations in the Netherlands and Europe, Fred van Beers built up an extensive international network within the community of yacht and ship owners, yacht designers, shipyards and the maritime supply industry. For the past 20 years delivery of systems and services for yachts has been part of his wider responsibilities.