Diane M. Byrne

Owner, MegayachtNews.com

Diane M. Byrne is the owner of MegayachtNews.com, a daily website educating American superyacht owners, buyers, and their circles of influence about the leading builders, designers, cruising destinations, and more. A journalist with 35 years’ experience, she founded the site in 2007 as the first, and still the only, American-focused online media outlet exclusively covering this market. It features all-original content, for real stories of real interest. She is additionally one of the most-sought-after journalists for expert editorial coverage and commentary about this segment of the market.

Byrne further owns RedHedInk, a full-service editorial and marketing copywriting company, producing high-quality content for high-net-worth individuals.

Throughout her career, Byrne has held a number of leadership roles. These include serving on the U.S. Superyacht Association’s Board of Directors since 2015, where she is presently the Chair. She was on the International Superyacht Society Board of Directors for eight years as well. Outside of yachting, she’s a trustee of Sempre Avanti, a non-profit resource supporting Italian and Italian-American individuals, businesses, and organizations in the United States and Italy.

Alastair Callender

Moravia Yachting

LinkedIn Profile:  www.LinkedIn.com/in/AlastairCallender

As the only Yacht Charter Vacations & Sales Broker that has won International Awards for Sustainability, and Innovation and Yacht Design, Alastair draws upon a career of globally distinguished success. He has been featured by The New York Times, The Financial Times, CNN, The Sunday Times & all major yachting media.

Since founding his first business in 2008, Alastair has been asked to speak as an authority on the subject of Sustainability within the yachting sector at numerous conferences and events across three different continents. His 58m superyacht design of Soliloquy – The Super-Green Superyacht has been recognised by several International Award bodies, including the International Superyacht Society (winner of the Excellence in Innovation category), as well as the Condé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards (winner of the Sustainable Design category).
 
10 years later, his design work is still cited today as a benchmark, including within the leading superyacht industry specific course on Sustainability.

Alastair has since launched the Americas region for Moravia Yachting. Moravia has had its headquarters in Monaco since 1962 and they are specialists in Yacht Charter Vacations, Sales Brokerage and New Build Project Management. The company is part of the wider Hill Robinson Group – a market leader in independent Yacht Management. The Hill Robinson Group are the first company in the yachting sector to Carbon Offset their entire global operations to support the first ‘Blue’ Carbon Project.

Today, Alastair now curates priceless memories on the world’s finest yachts: designing tailor-made luxury vacation experiences.
Having been directly involved in over 40 superyacht sales during his career to date, Alastair also advises clients on superyacht purchase, ownership, sales and new build projects.

Alastair gained a BA Honours First Class Degree in Boat Design with Professional Enhancement from Coventry University (UK).

Robert van Tol

Water Revolution Foundation

Robert’s passion is uniting people and organisations to achieve things that are beyond the scope of the individual.

While finalising his masters in Business Administration at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, he started working for the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) shortly after its founding in 2007. In his role of operational director, Robert compiled statistics and economic reports for SYBAss members, worked on ISO standards, researched the Hong Kong (recycling) Convention, conducted a superyacht fleet carbon-offset study as well as an economic impact study, and managed the SYBAss Sustainability Committee. He currently volunteers as the international liaison for the Dutch chapter of Young Professionals in Yachting.

Aino Grapin

CEO, Winch Design

Aino joined Winch Design in 2016, bringing 20 years of
experience in leading and growing businesses in creative
industries, namely in the art, luxury and technology
sectors.

Holding an MBA from INSEAD, Aino started her career
as a strategy consultant with Bain & Company. She then
spent nearly a decade at Christie’s, in a variety of strategic
and operational roles. Aino works closely with Andrew,
The Board and Senior Management Team to ensure
Winch Design is as strong commercially as it is creatively

Lay Koon Tan

Co-Founder, Nature Squared

Malaysian-born Lay Koon Tan and is co-founder of Nature Squared, creating unique luxury surfaces from sustainable natural materials.

Lay Koon Tan moved to the UK in 1977. She studied at the London School of Economics in the early 1980s.

As a partner with the global accounting firm Arthur Andersen, Koon Tan consulted a wide range of financial institutions in the 1990s, including FTSE 100 companies, stock exchanges and central banks. In 2000 she founded Nature Squared: an ethical business, grounded on the principles of sustainability, leveraging heritage craft skills to transform waste natural materials into luxury surfaces for diverse applications. Koon Tan embarked on this venture with Paul Hoeve, former senior colleague from Andersen.

Koon Tan and Hoeve aimed to foster a holistic approach to sustainability: enhancing livelihood in emerging countries; preserving heritage skills; and encouraging stewardship of natural resources and local communities. Trade not aid is Nature Squared’s maxim.

Nearly 20 years later, Nature Squared is synonymous with beautiful surfaces, sustainability, innovation and the highest quality, found in the most exclusive surroundings: from the dashboard of a Rolls-Royce Phantom to superyacht, residential, hospitality and commercial interiors.

Nature Squared today employs a 200 strong workforce of artisans, engineers, materiologists and project managers, a large part of whom are based in the Philippines.