The Monaco based International University, IUM, as part of the MBA in Luxury Management Program, organizes yachting familiarization courses for students wishing to enter a career path in the yachting industry. The program is built around a new construction project with specific client requirements in mind and explores the key links in the new construction “value chain” as well as the players, the knowledge and skills required.

Nicola Nicolai, nearly 20 years’ career in shipbuilding and 100+ projects successfully delivered, has been invited to share with students his experience in the superyacht industry. He discussed the key role of Project Manager in the new construction process, starting from the very beginning of the project, at negotiation stage, all through the following phases up to delivery. In particular, he highlighted the importance of timely and effectively managing the communication flow between stakeholders in the project. “First thing to be kept in mind is that building a superyacht should be an enjoyable experience for the owner therefore it is of great importance to understand the client’s expectations on the project and turn them into effective solutions” says Nicola Nicolai. Other than that, the Project Manager is the central figure ensuring the project progresses smoothly on time, cost and quality, protecting the value of the investment all through the process until delivery.

Nicolai’s intervention was followed by a QA session in which students demonstrated their interest in understanding the key factors making successful the management of superyacht new constructions.