Sarah Flavell is the Marketing Manager at Damen Yachting, a prominent Dutch superyacht builder, where she has worked for seven years. Previously, she ran her own marketing agency in the superyacht industry. Her journey into yachting began serendipitously at the London Boat Show 20 years ago.
At Damen Yachting, Sarah and her team manage all marketing activities for their diverse range of superyachts, from promotional campaigns to collaborating with design and product development teams to forecast industry trends and explore new markets.
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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?
My name is Sarah Flavell, and I’m the Marketing Manager at Damen Yachting. I am originally from the United Kingdom, specifically the Midlands in England, and I moved to the Netherlands in 2008. I relocated to live with my husband, who is Dutch and whom I met at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2006.
I work for Damen Yachting, one of the largest yacht-building companies in the industry. It’s a family-owned Dutch company, and we are responsible for building luxury yachts, explorer expedition yachts, yacht support vessels, and performing large-scale refits. We have delivered over 100 yachts, and each year we deliver between four and six yachts.
Can you share how you first got involved in the yachting industry?
Like many people, I got into the yachting industry by accident. I was working in the marine and leisure sector at a water ski park in the UK. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time water skiing and was also involved in water sports structures. I managed to get a job at a water ski center that also had a corporate entertainment division and a restaurant.
Through my work, I attended the London Boat Show, representing Ski Nautique, one of the water ski manufacturing companies. While at the show, I bumped into two family friends who owned a lighting company in the superyacht industry. They invited me to dinner, where I ended up meeting a group of interior designers, including Donald Starkey.
After that, they asked if I’d like to join their company, and I did. I worked for Savage Lighting until I moved to the Netherlands. Unfortunately, it was impossible to keep my job while living in a different country, so I transitioned to working for an AV and IT integrator for a couple of years.
In 2011, I set up my own marketing company, which I ran for 10 years. One of my clients during that time was a yachting company, Gate PR. Initially, they asked me to join part-time, working three days a week, then four, and eventually full-time.
My role evolved over the years—from copywriter and communication specialist to PR & Communications Manager, and for the last two years, I’ve served as the Marketing Manager.
Can you describe your role and the key tasks you handle? What does your job entail on a daily basis?
It’s an incredibly diverse job. First and foremost, I am responsible for managing my marketing department. We have a great team working across different disciplines, including campaigns, communications, digital, and events. My role is to ensure that not only is the team well-supported, but also that the department runs efficiently, particularly in terms of budget.
Most importantly, I’m responsible for our entire marketing strategy across all of our brands—both corporate and yachting—as well as our product brands. I also stay on top of the latest market research, data, and trends. I collaborate with sales and design teams to evaluate how we position our products. We assess which products to develop next, predict potential trends, and forecast future needs. These insights are then translated into marketing campaigns, for which I’m responsible for presenting to our stakeholders.
Could you walk us through a typical workday, including your main tasks and projects?
I think, like most people in our industry, no two days are the same. One day, it’s sitting with the team to discuss our plans for Monaco. It’s not just about setting up the stand, deciding which boats to feature, and organizing marketing materials, but also planning the campaign, deciding on activations, and figuring out what else needs to be organized. We consider side events, communications, and even a media event—planning the advertising, determining what assets are needed, and creating content.
Other days, it’s about sitting with Rose, our Managing Director, to discuss the company’s objectives and how they fit within Damen Shipyards Group. We look at how marketing can best support sales in terms of product positioning, providing the right materials, and developing sales campaigns.
Then, there are days when we host 30 brokers for three days at the shipyard. I may be giving a speech on stage, presenting our brand strategy, and leading marketing engagement talks to ensure we gather the latest facts, figures, and data.
Getting out and about is also part of the job. I try to attend all the major boat shows and make time for research tours. Earlier this year, I spent a couple of weeks in Asia to gain a deeper understanding of the market.
Can you describe what it's like to work at Damen Yachting? What is the work environment and company culture like?
Well, we have three core values that are a part of everything we do every day: teamwork, fun, and delivering on our promises. It’s probably one of the only companies I’ve ever worked for—or with—where these values are genuinely upheld continuously, not just in the events or what we deliver externally, but also internally.
I have a fantastic team, and we’re all very motivated. We can learn a lot from each other, and the fact that we’re given the room to be creative, to grow, and to push our ideas forward really makes it a great and inspiring place to work.
I’ve also always had a passion for shipyards. I absolutely love the moment you drive in and see these massive building halls. You don’t know what’s going on inside, and there’s something so intriguing about that. Then to think that these incredible yachts are being built inside the sheds by all these skilled individuals, each contributing their own touch to the final product—it’s just incredible.
What would you consider your biggest accomplishment or proudest moment in the yachting industry?
Wow, this is a difficult question. I think it has to be the end of the Monaco Yacht Show last year. It was my first Monaco Yacht Show as the Marketing Manager, and we had a big task ahead of us. All eyes were on the marketing team to see what we could deliver under my leadership—would it be as good as or better than previous shows? What would work, and what wouldn’t? In the end, we had the most successful show we’ve ever had, and I think that was a fantastic moment to celebrate with the team for everything we achieved and how we pulled it all together in the last year to make it happen.
I’m also incredibly proud of the Damen Yachting Women in Yachting initiative. We were the first company to introduce this idea, and we held an event six years ago. Since then, we’ve continued hosting them at boat shows and in different locations around the world. This year, we even held two in Asia. These events have been instrumental in bringing women together, providing a business networking platform where inspiring women can support, encourage, and share ideas. Our goal is to get more people into this industry. We really want to be inclusive, promote diversity, and, above all, inspire others to consider superyachting as a career option, whether onshore or on the water.
What changes have you observed in the industry since you began your career?
Massively, especially with women in yachting. In fact, when I first joined in 2004, there were very few women in the industry and definitely not in positions of management or leadership roles. I remember attending SEAS in Nice, and my colleague from Savage Lighting and I were the only two females at the entire exhibition. When I see our Women in Yachting event at the Monaco Yacht Show, with the stand absolutely packed with so many brilliant female leaders, I realize how dramatically things have changed.
Of course, there have been other changes as well, particularly in how superyachts are perceived, the maturity of the market, and the industry as a whole. What is considered a superyacht has evolved, and there have been many advancements in technology and innovation. These changes have had a really positive impact on our industry.
What is your vision for the future of the yachting industry?
We talk a lot about next-generation yachting and next-generation wealth. I believe this will play a valuable and influential role in how the industry evolves—how we will use boats, and how we will build and design them to meet the needs of the future generation. This could impact how they approach wealth investment, perhaps even reshaping ownership models. There are so many different options, but sustainability will undoubtedly be a significant factor. I think we will see a huge change in how we design superyachts. We’re seeing younger generations coming in as new owners, investing their money with a focus not only on it as an investment piece but also on how they want to use it. They're creating family-friendly spaces on board, where they can separate work from leisure, while also having the freedom to explore farther and be in control of their own future. At the same time, they’re incorporating facilities that allow them to contribute to scientific research, data collection, and specific missions and visions.
Is there something about you or your work that most people might not know?
What is the most recent news? I had a bad cycling accident four weeks ago, so I'm sitting here with my sling on because I broke my elbow. I've since had surgery and been repaired. This is important because my main hobby is playing tennis, and sometimes at boat shows, either with my team or with Rose, we always try to squeeze in a tennis match. However, that's on hold for now, as it will be a while before I’m back on the court.
What most people don’t expect is that, although I’ve lived in the Netherlands long enough to learn the language, I actually speak it. Dutch isn’t an easy language to learn, and not many people master it, but I am fluent, and it’s a big advantage.
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?
The industry itself is not as intimidating as it first appears. If you're prepared to seize opportunities and truly embrace what this industry has to offer, your dream job is somewhere within it. It just requires a bit of patience, as sometimes it takes a while to find where you're meant to end up.
Get in touch with Sarah Flavell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damenyachting/
Website: https://www.damenyachting.com
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