Ahead of the 14 May shareholders’ meeting, which will appoint a new board of directors for Ferretti Group, the confrontation between the main shareholders is entering a decisive phase. In this context, CEO Alberto Galassi has chosen Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy’s leading financial newspaper, to explain the reasons behind his position. The interview, conducted by Raoul de Forcade, represents a significant contribution to the ongoing debate on governance and the group’s strategic outlook.
His statements outline a development strategy articulated along multiple directions. On one hand, the strengthening of the core business in the production of high-end yachts; on the other, the opening towards new application areas, particularly defence, through the Ferretti Security Division. In this framework, considering the current geopolitical environment and the renewed global focus on dual-use and military technologies, a stronger positioning in this segment could represent a relevant growth opportunity for the group. This is complemented by the possibility of external growth through acquisitions and the use of financial instruments such as share buybacks—namely the repurchase of the company’s own shares—which can help support share value and optimise capital structure, within a more active capital management approach.
Galassi emphasises that the group operates in a complex industrial environment, characterised by a strong relational component and a highly selective international client base. From this perspective, management continuity is seen as a key factor in maintaining the stability of the path undertaken in recent years.
The central issue, however, remains the shareholder confrontation. On one side stands Weichai, the historical shareholder with a significant stake; on the other, KKCG Maritime, which has progressively built its position to exceed 23% of the capital. According to the interview, dialogue with the Chinese shareholder has gradually diminished, while KKCG has expressed clear support for the current management and industrial plan.
To understand the nature of this comparison, it is useful to examine the profile of KKCG Maritime. It is neither a shipyard nor a direct operator in yacht construction or management, but an investment platform through which the KKCG group operates in the maritime sector. As such, KKCG Maritime represents an investor with a financial-industrial approach, focused on long-term value creation. Its strategy is based on leveraging cross-sector expertise, an international network and the ability to operate in complex environments, including through M&A transactions.
The reference framework is KKCG, the multinational holding founded by Karel Komárek in 1995, now active in sectors ranging from energy to technology, as well as entertainment and real estate. Within this structure, the maritime division applies a model already established in other sectors: growth through acquisitions, integration of capabilities and international expansion.
In the case of Ferretti, this translates into a vision that identifies growth potential not so much in the product—considered solid—but in governance and the ability to activate new strategic levers. Hence the proposal to strengthen the board of directors and to adopt a more dynamic approach to capital allocation, with particular attention to expansion and consolidation opportunities.
In this perspective, KKCG Maritime acts as a vehicle for investment and development rather than as an operational player within the yachting supply chain. It does not build yachts nor manage fleets, but invests in companies with the aim of strengthening their competitive positioning and industrial scale.
The ongoing confrontation over Ferretti therefore goes beyond a simple shareholder dispute. On one side stands a governance approach with a stronger institutional and control-oriented profile; on the other, a proposal combining managerial continuity with a more proactive use of financial and industrial levers.
The outcome of the shareholders’ meeting will define not only the balance of power among investors but also the group’s future development model. In this context, KKCG Maritime introduces a new variable: that of a European investor focused on sector consolidation, at a time when high-end yachting is increasingly shaped by the integration of capital, governance and industrial strategy.