Our team
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Please meet the people driving Water Revolution Foundation, key figures from the superyacht industry as well as experts in their respective fields.
Henk de Vries III
Feadship – De Vries Scheepsbouw Chair
Henk was born in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands in 1958. He studied business economics at VU University in Amsterdam, after which he worked as a business consultant in various sectors.
He joined Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw and Feadship in 1987 as sales manager and became director and shareholder in 1996. Together with cousin Tom de Vries and later joined by Rob and Roderick de Vries, they expanded the family business to its current size with seven operating companies and 1200 employees. De Vries still is completely family-owned and owns 50% of Feadship.
Dr Vienna Eleuteri
Initiator & Vice-Chair
Vienna has coordinated several international projects in sustainable development, human health and the environment.
She works with governments and communities to introduce sustainable practices and adaptive technologies that reduce vulnerability to climate change and promote sustainable development. She is working on Yachting 4.0, a computational sustainability programme which supports decision making in production processes. She also coordinated the development of the WateRevolution model, a strategic partnership platform, recognized by the United Nations (UN) as a best practice, then taking this a step further by initiating Water Revolution Foundation.
Philippe Briand
Philippe Briand Design
Board member
Board member
Early insights into naval architecture and advanced hydrodynamics during an internship with Swedish designer Pelle Petterson armed Philippe with the skills to create dozens of successful production yacht models, of which over 12,000 have been built.
Philippe’s first foray into superyachts came in 1995 with a winning submission for the design of the ground-breaking, award-winning 44.7m S/Y Mari Cha III, and then Mari Cha IV. The success of these lightweight, high-performance cruising racers propelled him into the world of superyachts, where he has enjoyed considerable success. His studio produces yacht designs and naval architecture oriented around use of new technologies both for sailing and motor yachts.
Martin Redmayne
The Superyacht Group
Board member
Board member
Having graduated in business studies and mathematics, Martin joined a 90-foot sailing yacht which served as his introduction to the world of superyachts.
In 1992, Martin developed a brand new magazine. The Superyacht Report has now established itself as the authority in the market, with intelligent and informed reporting on all aspects of the superyacht world. With sister magazine titles developed over the years, and the creation of a solid digital portfolio and intelligence division, The Superyacht Group is one of the leading information suppliers to the market. Martin has spent time on over 1,500 yachts around the globe, interviewed hundreds of owners, CEOs and designers, providing a rare insight and unrivalled knowledge of the superyacht market.
Peter Lürssen
Lürssen Yachts
Board member
Board member
With an educational background in shipbuilding and industrial engineering in Germany and business administration in the United States, Peter Lürssen joined the family company as 4th generation in 1987.
He had already familiarized himself with various Lürssen departments and spent a year as a construction inspector at different Japanese shipyards. Under the leadership of Peter and his cousin Friedrich the company further expands with eight shipyards across northern Germany and 2,700 employees. Lürssen is 100% family-owned with all shareholders being members of the family.
Carolina Corral
Safe Harbor
Board member
Carolina manages the Marina Puerto Del Rey in Puerto Rico and LMC in Fort Lauderdale.
Carolina studied in Villanova University in Pennsylvania graduating with a B.A. in Sociology with minors in Business, Italian and Psychology. In 2013, she began working for Putnam Bridge where she has held several senior positions. Shortly thereafter, she was promoted to Marina Puerto Del Rey, later juggling both the Chief Executive Officer position of Marina Puerto Del Rey and Chief Operating Officer of Putnam Bridge managing two additional properties in the San Juan Area. Safe Harbor Marinas acquired Puerto Del Rey in September 2020 and promoted Carolina to Regional Vice President of the Caribbean.
Louis van Beurden
Treasurer & Secretary
Louis has a financial background and was educated as a tax lawyer before he started to work at the Big Four, then moving in-house at international companies such as Compaq HP and Lyondell.
In 2014 he helped set up Ultra Capital, a private investment vehicle focused on improving infrastructure projects to help alleviate constraints of the world’s most critical resources such as agriculture, energy, waste, and water in a more affordable, reliable and sustainable way. In 2017 Louis co-founded TIMII International, an initiative to develop sustainable housing in East Africa while generating high social impact with a fair financial return.
MANAGEMENT
The day to day activities of Water Revolution Foundation are run by a small team of sustainability experts, determined to make the industry more sustainable.
Robert van Tol
Executive Director
Robert’s passion is uniting people and organisations to achieve things that are beyond the scope of the individual.
He started working for the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) shortly after its founding in 2007, while finalising his masters in Business Administration. As executive director Robert is responsible for the operations of the foundation, primarily the relations with partners and the completion of the joint projects. He is also convenor of Working Group 6 Sustainability & Environment under ISO TC8/SC12 for Large Yachts to develop new industry standards.
Dr Elisabetta Zerazion
Scientific coordinator
Elisabetta has a PhD in engineering and a background in marine biology and environmental sciences.
Elisabetta is a life cycle assessment (LCA) expert and brings with her a valuable skillset that is rare to find in the superyacht industry, yet crucial if we are to measure our environmental impact. She has previously worked on projects where she applied the LCA’s multidisciplinary approach on different fields in both the public and private sectors. In 2016, she was recognised as the “Junior Expert in Species and Habitat Conservation” by the Italian Federation of Parks and Nature Reserves. Elisabetta is passionate about protecting the oceans and is a keen scuba diver.
Hanna Dąbrowska
Naval Architect & Sustainable Design Specialist
Hanna has a Masters degree in Naval Architecture and has worked passionately in the yachting industry for over 16 years.
Her career has taken her from Marine Engineer to Senior Naval Architect, during which she has gained extensive knowledge and developed many projects together with foremen, crew members, managers, science institutes, classification societies and sales teams. Hanna grew up in wild nature, yet she is curious about technology and high-end developments. She is determined to reverse the negative effects of civilization and believes that a balance in earth, humanity and natural resources is the ultimate luxury.
Alexey Shifman
Programme Director
Alexey is a naval architect with over 13 years of experience and a Master’s degree specialized in cruise liner design, fluid mechanics, and structural optimization.
His extensive work on design and optimisation are paralleled by a passion for creativity, having also served as CEO of a 3D printing start-up to spearhead the company’s innovation efforts and discover new ways to advance this emerging technology. Alexey believes in the power of creativity to enable a sustainable future for the superyacht industry and is committed to finding cutting-edge solutions to the sector’s challenges.
Jaime Barros
Junior Marine Engineer
From sunny Lisbon, Jaime grew up sailing and has ever since nurtured a deep love and respect for the ocean.
He moved to the Netherlands at a young age with the motivation to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s program in Marine Engineering at the Delft University of Technology. Recently graduated, Jaime feels compelled to leave his contribution for a better tomorrow for future generations to come and wants to ensure his skills and knowledge are put to good use. On a personal level, he’s passionate about wild camping, photography, and weird science facts.
Gigi Migliazzo
Marketing Executive
With a Bachelor’s degree in International Communications & Media, Gigi is passionate about global marketing, content creation, and sustainability.
Her expertise in strategic marketing and brand communications have been developed through prior experience building sustainable business ventures to combat plastic pollution in Indonesia and managing the brands for a plant-based food distributor based in the Benelux region. With the motivation to facilitate positive change for both people and the planet, Gigi is committed to help drive sustainability in the superyacht industry.