What client management must learn from tomorrow’s UHNWI 

At the Blue Design Summit in La Spezia on 15 May 2025, Prof. Dr. Phil Klaus, co-founder of Lexden Luxe, delivered a keynote about the future of yachting. It redefined how the industry must serve its most valuable clientele: The next generation of UHNWIs. 

Titled “Megatrends and the Trillion-Dollar Shift: Preparing Nautica for the Next Generation”, Klaus’s address set a clear agenda for shipyards, designers, brokers, and client service teams. The message was unmistakable: Customer experience will determine future leadership in the yachting industry. 

A new generation, a new compass for CX 

Klaus began by highlighting a critical disconnect. Many yacht brands remain optimised for the expectations of past clients, while the next wave of UHNWIs seek something entirely different. 

“Millennials and Gen Z don’t want status symbols”, he explained. “They want emotional symbols”. 

This shift in values from ownership to meaning demands a radical CX rethinking.

Take The Italian Sea Group, for example. Rather than focusing solely on vessel specs, they develop integrated lifestyle management services for their owners. They ensure that every voyage, request, and concierge need is anticipated and friction-free. 

Klaus introduced the concept of the “blue mind” and argued that while the love for Nautica remains, the pain points of traditional ownership no longer make sense to this audience. 

In client terms, the question is simple: How do we deliver the sea without the pain? 

The trillion-dollar shift: time, meaning, and seamlessness 

The core of Klaus’s message centred around what he calls “The Trillion-Dollar Shift”. A term that captures the vast intergenerational wealth transfer expected to peak by 2030. According to Lexden Luxe research, millennials will hold five times the wealth they do today, transforming in luxury expectations. 

The new UHNWI doesn’t want a bigger boat. They want a better life and they expect yachting to contribute to it. 

• Experiential luxury is now essential. Consider Winch Design, which increasingly co-creates with clients curated experiences from off-grid itineraries to themed expeditions. 

• Purpose-driven brands resonate most. Shipyards like Feadship now include sustainability officers on their client advisory boards, aligning builds with long-term legacy goals. 

• Time as the ultimate luxury has reshaped what excellence looks like in service delivery. At Benetti, owners operate their digital CX platform to control, schedule, and personalise every aspect of their yacht experience remotely. 

As Klaus explained, “It’s not that they have so much time. It’s that they can’t afford to waste a second of it”. 

Designing the Nautica ecosystem: the “next practice” 

CX transformation, Klaus argued, cannot stop at the yacht. It must evolve into a holistic ecosystem, where land, air, and sea experiences are integrated into a unified journey. He called this the “next practice”, a play on “best practice”, emphasising that brands need to lead the change. 

Client managers can take inspiration from VistaJet’s Private World offering, which links clients with a curated network of luxury experiences. Bespoke accommodations, superyachts charters, and private cultural tours can be seamlessly booked and managed through one interface.  

Similarly, the rise of “slow yachting”, the movement toward mindful, meaningful, and sustainable travel at sea, opens new CX opportunities.

Brands like Sanlorenzo now offer themed itineraries in partnership with marine biologists for a sense of purpose that extends beyond the port. 

Final thought: from yachts to journeys 

In closing, Klaus challenged the industry to design experiences, not just yachts. For the industry, this is the call to action: to go beyond specifications and into the emotional narrative of ownership. 

How will the yacht make your client feel? How do you reduce effort, deepen connection, and amplify purpose? 

For those seeking to make their mark, the key lies in understanding what matters most to customers from the experience. Research by Lexden Luxe founder Professor Dr. Phil Klaus highlights four key trends referred to as the M.E.P.A. drivers of customer choice.   

“What was a key learning from the research into over 300 UHNWI clients is that the luxury companies that serve them do not know what really matters to them. This is not only a problem to meet their current needs, but a missed opportunity for growth and future differentiation”.  

– Joint founder of Lexden Luxe, Christopher Brooks   

To learn more about M.E.P.A. and how applying it to your organisation creates commercial advantage through unforgettable experience management, contact rebecca.gabbi@lexdengroup.com.