Azimut/Benetti: designer Stefano Righini appointed Italian Ambassador

The naval architect who has been working with Azimut-Benetti for many years now has been appointed to the Altagamma Honorary Council as an Italian Ambassador of creative excellence. With him, tenor Andrea Bocelli, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and artist Michelangelo Pistoletto also received awards. The news was met with great satisfaction by the Company, which has had a mission right from the outset to be a trailblazer in the field of design and innovative technology.

Azimut Benetti Group, the world’s leading producer of luxury motoryachts, is pleased to announce a new recognition of its excellence in the field of design and creativity.On Tuesday, November 22, 2016, against the backdrop of Palazzo Madama in Rome, architect Stefano Righini, the designer for many years now of some of Azimut Benetti group’s most exclusive collections, was appointed by the Altagamma Foundation to the Altagamma Honorary Council as an Italian Ambassador of creative excellence.

This honour is bestowed on leading figures in the Italian creative and design community, whose skills and creativity have contributed to strengthening the Italian culture of excellence and its recognition worldwide in many different fields. Yesterday, tenor Andrea Bocelli, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and artist Michelangelo Pistoletto received the same award with Stefano Righini.

Stefano Righini is now an official member of the Altagamma Honorary Council, the organisation that since 2002 has brought together national and international institutions that contribute to promoting Italian culture, excellence and the Italian lifestyle worldwide. This recognition is a confirmation of the focus on design and innovation that is a distinctive feature of the production philosophy underpinning Azimut Benetti Group, the world’s largest private yacht builder and one that has always been regarded as a trailblazer in its sector, as well as one that offers an original take on Italian made creativity and elegance.

“Stefano Righini is not only a leading naval designer, as demonstrated by over 5,500 boats on the water that bear his name,” Group Chairman Paolo Vitelli comments with satisfaction, “but also the prime mover behind the most important light and space revolutions in yacht interiors over the last 20 years. Stefano has left an unmistakable imprint on his designs, making an important contribution to our Group’s growth and leadership”.

Righini’s visionary insights are responsible for the transition from portholes to big windows integrated in the hull, which flood cabins with light today and represent a key feature of hulls. He is also the inventor of Benetti coupe, sport fly and trawler models produced from composite materials on a large scale. “These are innovations that have not only driven Italy to a position of leadership on international markets, but also influenced the decisions of many other shipyards” Paolo Vitelli concludes.