Natalia is a creative strategist developing marketing events for yacht clients, and other clients in the luxury space. In her spare time she serves as an UHNWI. And most recently she became an ambassador to Njord by Bergman Design House. Natalia started her career in 2008 working at a yacht brokerage, then she moved onto the business aviation and then return to yachting launching her business in 2015.
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Can you introduce yourself by sharing your name, where you're from, your role in the yachting industry, and the company you work for?
I am a polyglot who has navigated a professional career spanning yachting, business aviation, and a touch of interior design before launching my own business in 2015, helping brands with their marketing, strategy, PR, and events.
Today, I offer consultancy services—including to yacht clients—in the spare time I have while serving as an Executive Assistant to a UHNWI who, as it happens, is also a yacht charter enthusiast.
Can you share how you first got involved in the yachting industry?
As I mentioned in the form, it was in 2008 when I started working for Fraser Yachts in London. I wanted to return to the South of France, having previously been expatriated to New Zealand and then Ireland for my previous job at a worldwide logistics company. I missed the sun, so London and Fraser became my stepping stone toward that goal, even if it meant starting as an office manager and then progressing to assisting the head office with London marketing initiatives.
It’s been a fantastic 14 years of being professionally involved in yachting, but I’ve been surrounded by it since I was 10 years old.
Can you describe your role and the key tasks you handle? What does your job entail on a daily basis?
I am a creative individual who thrives on strategy and building relationships to drive business development and marketing breakthroughs for my clients. My best roles have emerged from random meetings at events that required my energy and insights. I have had the privilege of working with some of the biggest names in yachting, including Lürssen, Sabrina Monte-Carlo, Suisscourtage, YARE, Explorer Yachts Forum, The Superyacht Show, Experiential Yachting Forum, Yacht Club de Monaco, Young Professionals in Yachting Monaco, the Monaco Yacht Show, and many others.
Could you walk us through a typical workday, including your main tasks and projects?
Wake up—check social media, specifically LinkedIn, to stay in tune with what's trending in the industry and beyond! I comment on and message anyone or anything that catches my interest. I also reach out to at least one contact in my 'dormant' black book to revive the connection and offer value to them.
Phone calls, emails, lunches, events—you name it, I'm there when it's worth my time!
Can you describe what it's like to work for yourself?
Awesome! No one can take the blame but me when things don’t go as planned. Free time is my time; I am my own boss and everything that comes with it.
What would you consider your biggest accomplishment or proudest moment in the yachting industry?
A truly heartfelt, long handshake from one of the highest-ranking UHNWIs in the world meant so much more after the event I organized for a client. The event brought together a renowned worldwide private bank, a yacht builder, an aviation and aerospace component manufacturing company, and a pro golfer who played sustainable golf using fish-food golf balls aboard a 70m superyacht—loaned to me for FREE—to entertain a select group of the world’s most prominent UHNWIs.
By simply being myself, leveraging creativity, and uniting the right partners on a zero budget, I pulled off an event that exceeded expectations and amazed some of the world’s most discerning UHNWIs. This stands out as my proudest moment to date. You don’t need to be a hotshot Cannes Lions-winning creative agency to work with the best! 😉
What is your vision for the future of the yachting industry?
Becoming more inclusive and aligning with how other luxury brands conduct their business and marketing efforts. Sustainability has become a 'trend,' but now the focus is shifting to the metaverse and NFTs—though is it truly the next big thing?
It's time to move away from the posh and bling and embrace meaning, value, and purposeful yachting (as highlighted in the Experiential Yachting Forum).
Is there something about you or your work that most people might not know?
Over the past two years, I’ve been under the radar in a place called La Vendée, France, crafting macramé and soy wax candles for Made With Love by Natalia. At the same time, I’ve been supporting Innovation Yachts and Ant Arctic Lab on what promises to be an epic extreme sailing adventure this year. Skipper Norbert Sedlacek will embark on a 32,000-nautical-mile journey over six months aboard his entirely sustainable 60ft racing yacht, Open60AAL, navigating through some of the most dangerous waters on the planet.
Additionally, I spearheaded an ambitious three-day wedding photoshoot remotely with Société des Bains de Mer Monte-Carlo, coordinating over 22 partners—all with zero budget. The results can be seen at www.myrivieraweddings.com.
What advice would you give to your younger self, and what do you wish you had known on your first day in the yachting industry?
From the first day I began, I knew the future would be different. I resolved to stand by my principles and not change for others, because the uniqueness of where I am today is precisely due to being true to myself. My clients choose to work with me for that exact reason: I am honest, and what you see is what you get.
Last year, while presenting to a class of Luxury MBA students at Munich Business School, I shared this advice with them: Be who you are, and the world will adjust.
Get in touch with Natalia Langsdale
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/langsdale_ltd/
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