Marcello Veronesi, 37, is the new CEO of Cantiere Del Pardo.Exclusive interview

He is 37 years old, the new CEO of Cantiere Del Pardo, the manufacturer of the legendary Grand Soleil boats.
Marcello Veronesi, formerly the brand’s chief strategy officer, will assume the position of CEO following the resignation of Fabio Planamente, who together with Gigi Servidati successfully led Cantiere del Pardo from 2018 to the present.
Planamente’s decision is due to a personal choice and comes at a time when, thanks to the acquisition by the Oniverse Group, Cantiere del Pardo can count on important new managerial resources capable of ensuring continuity of operations.
Planamente remains a partner and member of the company’s Board of Directors, with a willingness to support the new CEO and the Shipyard in which he has worked for more than two decades with his experience.

A few weeks ago, before his appointment (when he was still CSO, Chief Strategy Officer), our Eugenio Ruocco had interviewed him(you can find the full interview in the September issue on newsstands of the Giornale della Vela).
Here is what Marcello Veronesi, son of Sandro, founder of the Oniverse Group (formerly Calzedonia Group, which brings together brands such as Calzedonia, Intimissimi, Tezenis, Falconeri, Signorvino, Atelier Emé: more than three billion in sales and 45,000 employees), and since last year the majority owner of Cantiere Del Pardo, had told us.
His vision, which will certainly guide his work as CEO, comes out in the interview.

Our interview with the new CEO of Cantiere Del Pardo Marcello Veronesi

I am sitting in the clubhouse of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo.
We should be at sea following, aboard a Pardo 50, the Grand Soleil Cup (the gathering dedicated to all owners of Cantiere Del Pardo sailboats) but the mistral is raging.
There is a half-hour wait before going out on the water: just enough time for a chat with Marcello Veronesi, class of 1987.
The son of Sandro, founder of the Oniverse Group (formerly the Calzedonia Group, which brings together brands such as Calzedonia, Intimissimi, Tezenis, Falconeri, Signorvino, Atelier Emé: more than three billion in sales and 45,000 employees), since last year the majority owner of Cantiere Del Pardo.
I care, to speak with Marcello, as he is freshly appointed CSO, Chief Strategy Officer, of the Italian shipyard that produces Pardo Yachts (motor), VanDutch Yachts (high-end daycruisers) and Grand Soleil (sail).
Joining the current management of Cantiere Del Pardo (which counts former majority shareholders Gigi Servidati, Chairman and Fabio Planamente, CEO), he will make his contribution to the further development of an Italian shipyard that is projecting, more and more, its made in Italy in the world and that to do so needs on the one hand “industrial” logics, but without losing its DNA that counts on 51 years of history. Marcello, do you consider yourself more of a motorist or a sailor? I was born as a motorist, but I am getting into sailing very quickly.
Sailing is a world that has always fascinated both me and my brothers (Matthew and Frederick, ed.) as “laymen,” now we are getting into it a little at a time as “insiders.”… Do you remember your first contact with the sea and boats?
As a child, on my grandfather’s boat, a Baglietto.
We are from Desenzano, on Lake Garda: in summer and spring every occasion was good to go out on the water.
I used to go sailing, too, but I was always a guest of friends.
They would invite me on their sailboats, I would reciprocate … by motor.
My father Sandro over the years searched for the right motor boat for him, changing several, then his search ended with Pardo. Do you currently have your own boat? I have a Pardo 43, but with my brothers there is an intention to try our hand at sailing as well: maybe a Grand Soleil 42 LC.
I have been on my friend’s, in my opinion it is perfect boat for family sailing… What kind of owner are you? Today I make the boat a purely daily use, as moreover do my brothers Federico and Matteo.
We have owned the 43 for four years now, with my wife in the past we have also sailed longer, spending 3-4 nights on board: if you don’t leave with super-voluminous luggage, you have fun and are also nice and comfortable. What are the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean where you have sailed? I have a special relationship with the Balearic Islands, the first place I discovered as a child.
Cala Saona in Formentera is my bay of the heart.
Then all of Sardinia, from north to south … When your father told you that he wanted to buy Cantiere Del Pardo, how did you react?
No “Dad, but you who are an expert in socks and clothes, what do you have to do with boating?” Let’s say that Dad’s choice came about yes gradually, but not even too gradually (laughs, ed.).
My brothers and I are partners in the Oniverse group, we are on the board of directors, so all important strategic choices, as the acquisition of Cantiere Del Pardo was, were screened and shared by us.
The investment, however, was decided with a condicio sine qua non… Which is? The one that we would constantly follow the activity not as “silent partners.”
As, moreover, is our style, bringing entrepreneurial know-how and being active in management in collaboration with the current partners and the current shipyard management. It is no coincidence that you recently have an operational position within Cantiere Del Pardo… That’s right, I was appointed CSO, Chief Strategy Officer.
My role is first and foremost to study the brand, the industry, the business, gradually working alongside management and the various area representatives-I am first and foremost just a boat enthusiast and there is a lot to learn.
After this “study period” I will definitely be able to contribute in choices and decisions. An initial (right) low profile, then.
Also because you have arrived here to stay for a long time.
First, though, tell you about your knowhow.
How can Oniverse lend a hand to the brand, to, to quote your dad, “make beautiful boats even more beautiful”? Every industry has its own peculiarities, and boating is no exception.
It has its fixed points from which you cannot disregard and different logics than the businesses in which we currently operate with Oniverse.
But we certainly will not abandon best practices such as investments in technology and innovation, communication, branding, customer relationship management and more generally in activities aimed at managing relationships with the end customer. You didn’t mention digital investments… Digitization is certainly an important point; boating is a bit of an old school world on some practices.
There are a lot of activities that can be implemented to find a marriage with different sectors that have faster, change-oriented logics. With Oniverse – formerly Calzedonia Group – we are reminded of Tezenis, Intimissimi, Atelier Emé, Falconeri, Signorvino… we can say that you Veronesi have “democratized” luxury by making it accessible to a much wider audience.
Do you have a similar strategy in mind in the nautical sector as well? It is too early to answer this question, I would not want to put too much on the table, we have just arrived!
Cantiere Del Pardo’s brand positioning is already fine as it is, so we wouldn’t want to disrupt the logic of production, distribution or brand positioning.
With the entry of Oniverse, however, we would like to expand their international presence–in the sailing sector as well? Grand Soleil is a brand with more than 50 years of history, which while targeting a smaller, enthusiast market, has encountered great demand in recent years.
As the yard has experienced a real boom in the motor world, in recent years we have not been able to fully meet the demand, including international demand, from owners who were interested in buying our sailboats.
Hence the need to increase our production capacity and reach out to not say all countries in the world, but to all countries where there is a recreational culture.
Rooted in, or in the process of developing–what are the areas you aim for the most? In the powerboat world, our “Mecca” is the United States: Florida in particular, our distributor has grown a lot along with us, but we are also moving into the Great Lakes area and the West Coast.
Then we are expanding into the Gulf of Mexico, Central and South America (it is no coincidence that one of the participants in the Grand Soleil Cup in Porto Cervo, Sergio Sagramoso’s GS 44 Lazy Dog, flies the Puerto Rican flag, ed.), we have started cooperation with new distributors in Singapore and Hong Kong…. The latter two are well-known squares especially in the megayacht market… Actually, even there, the use of “family” use boats, which you can drive yourself, without crews and complications, is being discovered… What about Italy? Italy is a market that as of now, for us, is underpowered.
Without necessarily having to look too far, going around the many Italian marinas, even important ones, visited by a high-spending clientele, I noticed that our boats are still underrepresented.
I am talking mainly about the motor: in sailing, the Italian market is well manned (but still we look with interest to the U.S. also with Grand Soleil). What is the recipe for Americans to like you? Good question. On the one hand you have to ensure the reliability of the product, but it is in the “afters” that the real challenge is.
I was fortunate, with Oniverse, to work more than five years in the States, and I realized how the market is very demanding about everything aftersales service.
Not the least of which is customization: U.S. owners want to make changes on the colors and aesthetics of boats and are more “sensitive” when it comes to options.
There are so many powerboats in the US.
Everyone wants to have the one that is just theirs.
And the customer is always right (laughs, ed.). Let’s talk about the America’s Cup, the most coveted and oldest sailing trophy in the world that is being held right now in Barcelona, on the AC 75 flying boats… A very important agreement for Cantiere del Pardo the one with Luna Rossa, in terms of image for our brand.
In addition to the team’s official chaseboat, a VanDutch 48, we are in Barcelona with the brand new Endurance 72 as our hospitality boat.
It is the first model that touches the water the one delivered to Luna Rossa’s team, which is using it for the duration of the America’s Cup… Which we hope will be… The longest possible (it would mean that Luna Rossa, the “national team of Italian sailing,” has passed the elimination stages and earned the right to challenge the New Zealanders, the title holders to win the America’s Cup, ed.)!
In addition to the Endurance and the VanDutch, also available to the team in Barcelona is a Pardo 50 on the water. Speaking of Luna Rossa… Max Sirena is a client of yours (he has a Grand Soleil 44, ed.).
Is he demanding? Being able to meet the needs of Luna Rossa’s Team Director and Skipper is a great boast for us at Cantiere del Pardo.
Your feedback will help us improve our Grand Soleils and boats even more.
What is your favorite Grand Soleil?
I was very impressed with the 52P (Performance) that is making its debut at the Cannes Boat Show-I had the opportunity and honor to preview it and I can assure you that it deserves it.
It is a boat that we are focusing on a lot and it is having a lot of success: even those who do not know about sailing understand that it is a hull that is a work of art.
Just as Frers’ Grand Soleil 52, whose “heir” she is, was a work of art. Let’s take stock.
Has this first year of Oniverse being a major player in the boating world held any surprises? It struck me, on the positive side, that boating is an industry still very much about craftsmanship and manual savoir faire, and that is what can still make the difference between one product and another.
I personally have had the opportunity to visit other shipyards before Pardo, as a customer or friend of shipowners: at first glance I hadn’t paid too much attention, now that we are in it I have realized it.
This clearly brings with it some limitations, as finding craftsmanship is increasingly difficult.
The other “surprise” is that despite the staggering growth of Pardo Yachts and VanDutch Yachts, we can still do better, in terms of brand awareness.
Some of my friends still don’t know Cantiere Del Pardo.
But they will know it soon… Eugene Ruocco

Veronesi people’s sense of boating

Why Cantiere Del Pardo, acquired by the Veronesi family’s Oniverse Holding, is in good hands

And to think that their passion for boats was not born on the sea, but on Lake Garda, where Sandro Veronesi and his sons, from Desenzano, used to go out on the water as soon as they could.
Now they have bought a boatyard that sells them on all the seas of the world.
“Often things are born by chance. But you have to carry them out well.”
Sandro Veronesi summed up in this way, at the Grand Soleil Cup in Porto Cervo, the adventure that led his Oniverse Holding (3 billion in sales with its brands Calzedonia, Intimissimi, Tezenis, Falconeri, Signorvino, Atelier Emé to name a few) to the acquisition of the majority (88%) of Cantiere Del Pardo, obtained by buying the share of the Wise Equity fund.
“I met Gigi Servidati in Milan, during an event in Via Montenapoleone, He told me that the investment fund that controlled the majority was leaving and so….”
In no time at all, comes the choice to invest in boating, dictated by passion.

Veronesi, born in 1959 and founder of Calzedonia in 1987, has created an empire, knowing how to diversify his business over the years.
And his three sons have taken after him: Marcello (37), Matteo (34) and Federico (32) sit on the board of Oniverse Holding, each leading one or more of the group’s brands.
Federico is the brand leader of Signorvino and Tezenis, Matteo of Intimissimi and Intimissimi Uomo, Marcello has the “proxy” on boating and has been appointed CEO of Cantiere Del Pardo.
That the former Calzedonia Group, though gigantic, remains family-owned is revealed by the name itself, which has recently changed: Oniverse, in fact, is the anagram of Veronesi.
In the Veronesi’s development strategy, sailing is crucial.
Sandro again: “To those who say that now that we have acquired Cantiere Del Pardo we will focus mainly on Pardo Yachts and VanDutch Yachts, powerboats that guarantee more profit, I want to point out that we also sell socks, with very low margins. So rest assured, Grand Soleil is and will remain a key brand for us.” E.R.