Paolo Vitelli the founder of Azimut Yachts and Azimut-Benetti Group has died aged 77 in his home in Ayas, Aosta on the afternoon of 31 December 2024. Vitelli died in a tragic accident as he was reported trying to open a shutter door when he fell and hit his head. Born 4 October 1947 Paolo Vitelli is one of the most important yachting entrepreneur and industrialist of the past fifty years, a man who shaped the yacht industry in Italy and beyond. Paolo Vitelli will start Azimut as a boat charter company in March 1969, from the savings he made from his student jobs and selling his share in the Temposei Night Club in Turin. A year later in June 1970 he will get a degree in Economics and Business and in 1971 he will become the Italian dealer of the Norwegian made Amerglass. In 1975 Azimut Yachts becomes a yacht builder as it builds the first 43 Bali model as designed by Bernard Olesinski and interiors by Terence Disdale. The first Azimut shows the designer inspired direction and is the start to an unstoppable industrial expansion and growth which continues till today. In just seven years Azimut shows the important super yacht player it will become when it launches the 105 Failaka, which is also the largest fiberglass build yacht of the time and will be delivered in four units in a four year production run. Vitelli will not stop and in 1985 he will start to make Group as he purchases the bankrupt Fratelli Benetti shipyard. Paolo Vitelli will restore Benetti leadership in custom and semi-custom Super Yacht production and in 1998 also debuts the shipyard into the fiberglass semi-production market with the Classic 115, which will sell 27 units in an eight year production run and is followed by smaller and larger GRP builds and will put Azimut-Benetti as the leader with the most build Super Yachts from 1999 till today. Azimut-Benetti Group will also purchase Gobbi shipyard in the fall of 2001 rebranded as Atlantis some years later, and becoming the sport cruiser and sport yacht line up of Azimut Yachts from 2012. Azimut-Benetti also enters into marina ownership debuting with Varazze in 2005, and then followed with Viareggio and Livorno in Italy, and Valletta in Malta, and on Lake Chimki, Moscow in Russia. Paolo Vitelli also created the small Hotels de Charme chain that restore old buildings in Chamonix in France and Champoluc and Mascognaz in the Italian region of Valle d’Aosta, which conferred on him the title of Amis de la Vallée d’Aoste. Paolo Vitelli also lead the Italian Boat Builders UCINA Association President from 1998 to 2006, a period of record growth for the Italian Nautical Industry which is still unprecedented. Paolo Vitelli was also an honorary consul of Norway from 1974 to 2018 and from March 2013 to September 2015, he was a member of the Italian parliament, elected in the Civic Choice list with Monti for Italy. He was a member of the Parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic and the Transport and Finance Commissions. Paolo Vitelli also received the following honours; 1996 Cavaliere del lavoro Order of Merit for Labour; 2004 Honorary degree in mechanical engineering from Politecnico di Torino; 2006 Confindustria “Champions of growth” award as best Italian business in the five-year period 2001-2006 in terms of growth, innovation and internationalisation; 2011 Amis de la Vallée d’Aoste for his contribution to the development of tourism in various locations by creating quality hotels in old rural buildings; 2017 Carlo Riva Award for entrepreneur of the year; and in 2022 he was named the Torinese of the Year. Paolo Vitelli will give leadership to Azimut-Benetti Group to his daughter Giovanna in 2022.
January 1, 2025
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