The Honours: A Celebration of Superyacht Industry Inspirations

The Honours, which is organised by the Monaco Yacht Show and The Superyacht Life Foundation, is an event which aims to shift the spotlight away from the superyachts and onto the extraordinary people in the industry. Whilst featuring some of the world’s most spectacular displays of luxury, the superyacht industry is also home to some of the world’s most inspiring people in regard to environmental dedications, career journeys and unwavering passions. 

The first edition of the event saw three Honourees selected to receive a Bowspirit award, a beautiful design crafted in glass and carbon by Preciosa, with an overall total of 364 nominees, in which 14 were shortlisted. The panel of judges, which is chaired by Tony Harris, Superyacht Industry Ambassador of Informa Markets, then convened for deliberation in Monaco to decide the three winners. 

An exceptional evening event was held on the eve of the 2023 Monaco Yacht Show to award and celebrate the three Honourees. A gala dinner took place at Hauser & Wirth’s stunning gallery in Monaco on Place du Casino, an event that treated a distinguished guest list to an exquisite three-course dinner and sensational entertainment, including ballet and opera performances. The gallery was a stunning backdrop to the celebrations, featuring a new exhibition by renowned contemporary artist Mark Bradford. 

The three Honourees represent the diverse range of exceptional work carried out within the industry. Jenny Matthews, Zoran Selakovic and Wendy Shmidt were the well-deserving winners, three true inspirations within the superyacht world.

Jenny Matthews

Born and raised in New Zealand, Jenny Matthews set her desires on becoming a superyacht captain, despite recognising the rarity of female deckhands. Working her way up the ranks and gaining an officer of the watch certificate, Matthews decided to acknowledge the diversity issues within the industry and founded ‘She of the Sea’: a social media platform in which women in the deck and engineering departments could share knowledge, build a community and inspire the next generation. She then went on to found ‘Legersea’, which focuses on mentoring the next generation of yacht crew. 

Speaking on diversity within the industry, Matthews commented: ‘I feel so honoured and blessed and driven to be part of that conversation, whether it’s about orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, or socio-economic background.’ Her passion for not only being part of a conversation about diversity but actively contributing to it highlights the important role that Matthews plays in the industry, inspiring everyone to create a worthy space for themselves within the superyacht world. 

Zoran Selakovic

Zoran Selakovic was born and raised in Croatia, starting out as a passionate yacht skipper and business strategy consultant. Touched by the effects of hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean, Selakovic approached Mark Drewelow, Founder of YachtAid Global (YAG). Following the impact of the hurricanes,  YAG received offers from over 100 superyachts to assist in relief efforts in just two weeks. Following this, Selakovic was made YAG’s Director, overseeing a plethora of projects from disaster relief to clean drinking water missions.

Selakovic believes that organisations such as YachtAid Global exist because of the community: ‘In so many ways, YachtAid Global is a collaboration, an altruism sustainability platform through which we connect and work together to carry out these initiatives in a way that is truly sustainable – and we’ve had over 300 superyachts and thousands of owners and crew engaged over the course of the years.’ His acknowledgment of the industry as a whole resonates with the message at the crux of The Honours: to recognise all who contribute to the superyacht industry. 

Wendy Schmidt

Wendy Schmidt is a philanthropist and sailing superyacht owner, with a natural talent for helming and an affinity with the sea. She is passionate about not only restoring our ocean environments, but understanding and conserving them. Schmidt’s involvement in the Schmidt Family Foundation, Schmidt Ocean Institute and other non-profit organisations highlight the ways in which she has helped further ocean science and research. She founded 11th Hour Racing, which highlights issues and promotes solutions for sustainability in the yachting and yacht racing sectors and is also the first woman and first American to win the Barcolana: the world’s largest yacht race. 

Schmidt commented, ‘Human activity has had this extraordinary impact on ocean health… Let’s stop hurting it. Let’s let it be what it was designed to be, because it is our life support. It is a major protein source for almost half of the human race. It’s our pharmacy full of compounds – we have barely scratched the surface of them, but we do know many of them help cure diseases. And for sailors, it’s our playground. It’s where we have our recreation, and we have a responsibility for its health.’ Schmidt has an admirable drive for sustainability, a topic which has never been more important within the superyacht industry. 

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These three extraordinary winners encompass everything that The Honours stands for: recognising those who have had remarkable impacts on the industry and who inspire others to do the same. From world-class performance capabilities to unwavering sustainable and environmental commitments, Jenny Matthews, Zoran Selakovic and Wendy Schmidt are Honourees that are worth celebrating beyond the event, as we continue to acknowledge the importance of The Honours and celebrate its empowering objectives and spectacular achievements.