ON
BOARD
WITH
Shanna Khan
Shahid Khan’s daughter on her most-anticipated superyacht, Kismet
JARMO POHJIANIEMMI
The designer and property developer helped guide the fantastical design of her family's 122-metre Kismet. Risa Merl delves into the experiences that shaped her outlook
BORN: CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, ILLINOIS, US
LIVES: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; AND JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
PROFESSION: REAL-ESTATE DEVELOPER, INVESTOR, DESIGNER AND OWNER OF JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AND FULHAM FC
HAPPY PLACE: “WHEREVER THE PEOPLE I LOVE ARE IN THE WORLD, IN SUNSHINE, WITH A GLASS OF SPARKLING ROSÉ”
CURRENT BOAT: 122M LÜRSSEN KISMET
Shanna Khan is on her way to becoming a formidable figure in the dual worlds of luxury property development and – perhaps closest to her heart – design. “It’s a passion that was first awakened during my time abroad in France and Italy in my twenties,” Khan says. During a stay at Le Meurice Hotel in Paris, she was bowled over by its immersive interior experience, from the vibrant colours to the signature scent – inspired by the nearby Tuileries Gardens – that wafted gently through the salon.
GETTY IMAGESThe Tuileries Gardens in Paris
GETTY IMAGESThe Tuileries Gardens in Paris
The room created a sensorial memory that never left me,” she says. “I was mesmerised by the green velvets combined with orange hair on hide fabric – so original in style and thoughtfully curated. It blew my mind; it was a masterclass in storytelling spaces.”
COURTESY OF OWNERKhan on board Kismet
COURTESY OF OWNERKhan on board Kismet
After her trip to Paris, Khan knew she was meant to enter the design world. This exposure to Parisian style “awakened something deeply creative in me”, she says, and the experience informed her taste for bold, maximalist and sensory-laden aesthetics, of which her family’s 122-metre Lürssen Kismet is the perfect example.
The room created a sensorial memory that never left me,” she says. “I was mesmerised by the green velvets combined with orange hair on hide fabric – so original in style and thoughtfully curated. It blew my mind; it was a masterclass in storytelling spaces.”
After her trip to Paris, Khan knew she was meant to enter the design world. This exposure to Parisian style “awakened something deeply creative in me”, she says, and the experience informed her taste for bold, maximalist and sensory-laden aesthetics, of which her family’s 122-metre Lürssen Kismet is the perfect example.
The yacht is emotionally resonant, visually striking and exceptionally immersive. “For me, it’s about creating moments of awe and memory,” she says. “And it’s about seduction – you want the space to invite you in, to surprise you, to transport you.”
“I was mesmerised by the green velvets combined with orange hair on hide fabric - so original in style and thoughtfully curated. It blew my mind”
Khan was pivotal in the design of this yacht, her family’s newest Kismet, which takes guests on a magical journey through its interior design, artfully conveying them from the 1920s art deco era to the glamour of Old Hollywood and into the future with a Tron-inspired engine room.
BLUEIPROD
BLUEIPROD
It’s the third Lürssen-built Kismet, following their first, a classic Feadship. Over time, Khan’s role in the family’s yachts evolved from observer to orchestrator. This time, working in collaboration with interior designer Reymond Langton and exterior designer Nuvolari Lenard, Khan served as the creative director – and, of course, an owner – of the new Kismet.
The project may have been one of the largest yachts launched in recent years, but Khan’s formative memories of being on the water are much humbler. She looks back fondly at her first time stepping on board a ferry boat in Disney World as a child.
“I remember being transported from air, land and sea,” she says. “It made me feel like anything is possible while being seamlessly connected from one enchanting place to the next. That feeling of being magically swept away never left my memory.”
The daughter of Shahid Khan – owner of automotive parts giant Flex-N-Gate, as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars in the US and Fulham Football Club in the UK – Khan has carved her own path, one rooted in a blend of structure and creativity. She grew up in the US in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, which remains her family’s home base among their many houses.
It taught me to lead with integrity, to honour different cultures and to finish what I start”
Khan also attended the University of Illinois, earning a degree in accounting, a foundation she sees as instrumental to her career today. “I’ve always believed that the essence of any well-run business, no matter how visionary or creative, should be deeply rooted in solid financial discipline,” says Khan. “Accounting gave me that structure. It taught me how to see the story behind the numbers and how to build sustainable businesses.”
COURTNEY CULBREATH - GETTY IMAGES
COURTNEY CULBREATH - GETTY IMAGES
Shahid Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars
LOGAN BOWLES - GETTY IMAGES
LOGAN BOWLES - GETTY IMAGES
Jacksonville Jaguars player Ja’Quinden Jackson
That practical training also proved invaluable when she took on her first career role as an Immigration and International Affairs Specialist for the US House of Representatives.
“It was one of the greatest honours of my life,” she says. “It taught me to lead with integrity, to honour different cultures and to finish what I start.” Her early career in government also gave her a global outlook and fine-tuned her ability to navigate complex systems, a skill that would later prove essential in business.
BLUEIPRODKismet’s upper deck lounge ceiling includes a faceted mirror
BLUEIPRODKismet’s upper deck lounge ceiling includes a faceted mirror
She began developing real estate in her late twenties, initially in Texas, Illinois and Florida. Today, she is the president of the Khan Family Office and the founder of the Shanna Collective, a vertically integrated real-estate development firm that launched this summer.
COURTESY OF OWNERKhan’s creative work includes jewellery design, but she is also a real estate developer and launched the Shanna Collective in 2025
COURTESY OF OWNERKhan’s creative work includes jewellery design, but she is also a real estate developer and launched the Shanna Collective in 2025
Projects in the pipeline for the Shanna Collective include the forthcoming Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Jacksonville – a 170-room waterfront property with 25 branded residences – as well as a commercial office in Chicago’s Fulton Market and a mixed-use office and marina redevelopment in Jacksonville.
“Our philosophy is that ‘rising waters help all boats’ as we seek mutually beneficial, enduring relationships,” says Khan.
The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences in Jacksonville
Khan is also a bespoke jewellery designer and serves on several philanthropic and advisory boards, reflecting her commitment to creativity, community and long-term impact. Her entire family is devoted to philanthropy, she says, and she serves as the director of the Khan Family Foundation. “Our giving ranges from animal welfare to scientific medical research, community development and beyond,” she says.
SHANNA KHAN SNAPSHOT
Just as much variety is on show in Kismet – this is a yacht full of surprises. Whether in large-scale spaces, such as the magnificent staircase and piano lounge, or in the small details of the wallpaper, or the fashion designer-inspired cabin names, every centimetre of space has been considered.
BLUEIPRODThe spiral staircase aboard Kismet includes about 1,500 lighting components
BLUEIPRODThe spiral staircase aboard Kismet includes about 1,500 lighting components
The result is a yacht that’s unapologetically dramatic yet deeply personal. “A yacht is a unique canvas,” says Khan. “Every angle must reveal something new. Light, texture, movement – these are the materials we work with.”
Khan sees superyachts not merely as luxuries, but as platforms for creativity, connection and meaningful retreat
Exemplifying this approach, a ceiling motif in the main saloon plays with light so that no reflection is ever the same. In other areas, art deco patterns embossed into the exterior ceilings become visible only at certain angles, catching the glow of dusk or the shimmer of midday sun.
THE LOVE BOAT
Kismet, in each of its iterations, has long been known among the Khans as “the Love Boat”. Crew members have met, fallen in love and even started families aboard. Stuart Hayward, for example, began working in the galley on the first Kismet and worked his way up to officer, eventually marrying former chief stewardess Karen O’Hara.
Loyalty is another hallmark of the Kismet team. “The secret magic is truly the people that operate our boat – our crew is our extended family,” says Khan. “Gerry and Kyle Fultz have been with our family since the inception. This loyalty is a rarity in the yachting world.” Captain Kyle and Gerry Fultz have worked with the Khan family for decades, now serving as the owners’ representatives.
THE LOVE BOAT
Kismet, in each of its iterations, has long been known among the Khans as “the Love Boat”. Crew members have met, fallen in love and even started families aboard. Stuart Hayward, for example, began working in the galley on the first Kismet and worked his way up to officer, eventually marrying former chief stewardess Karen O’Hara.
Loyalty is another hallmark of the Kismet team. “The secret magic is truly the people that operate our boat – our crew is our extended family,” says Khan. “Gerry and Kyle Fultz have been with our family since the inception. This loyalty is a rarity in the yachting world.” Captain Kyle and Gerry Fultz have worked with the Khan family for decades, now serving as the owners’ representatives.
Certain areas of the yacht hold particular emotional weight, says Khan. The pool deck aft, for example, features a bespoke mother-of-pearl fan motif and a view line that captures sunrise and sunset in equal splendour.
Below deck, a spacious spa – with every conceivable amenity, from a cryotherapy chamber to a fire pit and hammam to a yoga studio – and a combined cinema and underwater lounge create spaces where the family and guests can truly relax and reconnect.
BLUEIPRODThe aft pool deck on Kismet showcases a custom mother-of-pearl fan motif
BLUEIPRODThe aft pool deck on Kismet showcases a custom mother-of-pearl fan motif
As part of a new generation of yacht owners, Khan sees superyachts not merely as luxuries, but as platforms for creativity, connection and meaningful retreat. Available for charter only through Cecil Wright, Kismet offers guests the rare opportunity to experience this artistry and opulence first-hand – and for many years to come.
“Every angle must reveal something new. Light, texture, movement - these are the materials we work with”
The yacht, like Khan’s real-estate ventures, is built with longevity in mind. “My goal with each space in every project is for the guest to get lost in time and for the design in and of itself to be timeless,” says Khan.
BLUEIPRODThe main deck dining saloon aboard the 122m Kismet
BLUEIPRODThe main deck dining saloon aboard the 122m Kismet
When asked what comes next, Khan hints at new projects in the works with reference to the sea. “Designing any marine vessel changes your perspective permanently – the sea imparts lessons land never could. It’s about resilience, precision and adapting to forces beyond your control. Once you’ve navigated those challenges, you carry that wisdom everywhere.”
From accounting to government and design to development, Khan’s career trajectory has taken her on quite the journey, just like the magical yacht she’s had a hand in shaping. “This Kismet is a true labour of love,” she says. “It was a unique way to take my design principles and apply them on the water.” Or, as she puts it with a smile, “It was kismet.”
First published in the October 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.