dominator yachts pernsteiner

• Destinations
• Log in/Register
• Advertising

ALPHA FEMALE: ANGELA PERNSTEINER

Dominator Yachts’ Angela Pernsteiner has achieved much in her time as the shipyard’s CEO, taking the Ilumen project from concept sketch in 2014, to successful launch in only three years. We catch up with the Harvard graduate to see what defines her as a leader.

What is the best part of being a superyacht builder?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a superyacht builder is being able to work with such a diverse range of individuals, from the owners, down to the skilled craftsmen in the shipyard, to create a yacht from what was just a concept several years earlier.

Seeing the end result must be very rewarding?

It’s an amazing feeling, knowing that our team designed and created this beautiful, but very complex, vessel. Every time one of our bespoke Dominators touches the water, I feel overwhelmed. It shows just what our team has achieved after many long days and nights that are filled with energy-consuming negotiations, worry and, honestly, putting all our blood, sweat and tears into the project.

Equally as rewarding for the owners?

Yes, it’s quite an amazing feeling seeing the owners on board their dreams for the first time. That sense of pride and achievement makes us – myself and my whole team – feel that the long, difficult process was worth it.

It’s a great achievement for yourself, too?

I enjoy proving that women can exert equal influence, authority, knowledge, mental stamina and physical strength as the leader of a successful shipyard. We’re in a male-dominated industry, and I’ve found that it’s important for female leaders to set a statement by speaking our minds and rejecting unfair terms or conditions in daily business practices.

What defines you as a leader?

Achieving gender-equality in the industry, along with building the world’s most beautiful bespoke superyachts, are my parallel goals and the driving force of my daily work life. They define who I am as a leader.   I’ve found that success is ultimately not dependent on gender or age, but one’s ability and determination to inspire and motivate others. That is key to leadership for any woman or man in any industry.

Can you tell us about your favourite project?

At Dominator, every project is unique. But there have been some very special projects. After a long and intensive development phase for engineering and design, we launched the Ilumen range in 2017. The first Ilumen not only revolutionised our brand, but it pushed the entire industry forward.

It’s proving to be a popular range?

Yes, last summer, another two Ilumen models touched the water for the first time. It was truly gratifying to finally show the yachting world how we can build bespoke yachts, incorporating every detail that the owner wants in their dream yacht. In fact, from the moment we start designing a boat for an owner, we take the approach that every project is unique and will involve a variety of tastes, features and preferences.

Creating bespoke superyachts must be a 24/7 operation?

It’s a challenge at times, to say the least, but it’s just what I love about every project. There is nothing standard. Every boat is unique. What really drives us is to find innovative solutions to challenges and introduce ground-breaking concepts. Our goal, above all, is client satisfaction.

What has been your most interesting build?

If I had to choose one yacht, I think the construction of 28M Ilumen CADET V was a truly remarkable experience. The Owner is an admirer of art, which is the reason why he chose to have different centerpieces in various areas on board. For instance, there is the piece by Lorenzo Quinn in the salon, and two mesmerizing artworks of Stefano Curto that include thousands of Swarovski crystals. The collaboration with Stefano Curto in the shipyard was a very special experience for everyone involved. Further, through the great contributions of the Owner, his family and his crew in all areas of the design, we created not only a completely different layout, but also made on board living much better, thanks to the yacht’s improved insulation and shaft propulsion.

What really drives us is to find innovative solutions to challenges and introduce ground-breaking concepts. Our goal, above all, is client satisfaction.

Would you say that the superyacht industry is male dominated?

Indeed, the decision makers are almost always men, whether it’s the clients, their lawyers, the advisors, the brokers, the technicians, the captains or the suppliers. We build yachts for the most demanding UHNWI, and during construction as well as in tough negotiations with suppliers I deal with what I would describe as mostly male-oriented traits.

Has is been a challenge?

Yes, being in a male-dominated industry was a challenge in the beginning. My age and gender were not taken seriously or initially respected in this industry. But I have found that continuous skills development, increasing technical knowledge and furthering my education in materials and construction processes has helped gain that respect. On top of everything, I feel that two to three times more effort was required to gain the same respect and be treated with the same professional courtesies as men.

The experience made you tougher?

Through these challenges you grow. For instance, I’m now able to outperform many male sales brokers in technical arguments. That is a huge advantage in this industry. I’ve also learned that a little courage goes a long way and that in order to gain acceptance and to get things through, you have to be persistent and sometimes aggressive.

You’ve inspired other females?

I try to lead by example for other women in the industry – either those working with me, or outside the company – to encourage them to be persistent and determined in everything they do. Women need to learn to take risks and not be afraid of failures. This is the most common obstacle that we impose on ourselves and why men always seem confident, even with a lack of knowledge behind that confidence. This industry can often be filled with sharks who teach me new lessons every day. It’s often difficult and stressful, but I’m also thankful for this harsh training since I’m able to improve the skills needed to thrive in this industry. It can be a tough industry for women, but if you persist and adapt, you can grow and thrive as a businesswoman and person.

By SuperyachtNews 26 Jul 2016

Ten Minutes with Wolfgang Pernsteiner

Dominator’s new yacht, illumen 28, is scheduled to launch later this year. we caught up with company owner wolfgang pernsteiner to find out more.….

Dominator, headquartered in Austria, launched its first luxury yacht, the Dominator 65, back in 2001. From their shipyard in Italy, they have since built many more, ranging from 20 to 40m. Currently, all eyes are on the new 26m Ilumen, designed by Alberto Mancini. The Superyacht Owner speaks to Wolfgang Pernsteiner, who bought the company back in 2009.

You owned a Dominator yacht before deciding to buy the company. What motivated this decision?  Well, we have to go back a step. Before I owned a Dominator, I owned another well-known brand of yacht and whilst out at sea, suffered an electrical fault which nearly started a fire and also left us stranded with no back-up systems. On returning to land, I immediately set about selling the yacht and searched around asking everyone for the company with the best quality. This is how I heard of Dominator Yachts. My ownership experience of the Dominator was far better and I fell in love with yachting once again. When the opportunity arose to buy the company, I did not hesitate.

Tell us about the new Ilumen 28. The Ilumen 28m was borne out of my ideas of yacht usage and our designer’s concepts of space and light. We raised the pilot house so that you can have a very large owner’s cabin on the main deck and a large salon. Further to this I believe we have the largest flybridge for a yacht of this size. So much thought has gone into the proportions providing all of these benefits. The owner cabin will have a very private area with sea views, a moon roof to watch the stars at night and even a bow terrace. There are a further four cabins on the lower deck. The total volume of the yacht compares with a 30m+ yacht, so this is very much the yacht of the future.

The company has won awards for design – could you tell us a little about this? Alberto Mancini has worked with us for many years. He established two core themes for the new Ilumen series of ‘space and light’. Form and function have to work hand in hand. It is not good enough to have a beautiful yacht which is not practical. The owner enjoys the beauty and the practicalities that our designs create around them.

What changes or improvements would you like to see in the market in order to sustain and grow the ownership value model? We find that only too often, owners or captains of older yachts tend to make decisions too quickly when it comes to servicing or maintaining their yachts. I would like to see more qualified engineers and service outlets out there. I think more accreditation systems  also need to be in place to highlight to owners the safest places to go to.

What is the most important piece of advice you could deliver to a first-time owner? There are many deals out there. the market is flooded. What I would say is, if you are going to spend the money, don’t just go for what seems like the best deal. It may seem wise at the start but then after the first season you regret that you did not find something that really fulfilled your needs. That is the mistake I made. It is then more expensive to correct that mistake. So think about investing the extra money to make the decision perfect to you. Then, once you have chosen - make more time to enjoy on your yacht! We have a client who changed one of the cabins into an office and this only on a 64 footer. He uses this open plan office to work 2 months of the year from and has the latest tele-communications systems onboard to help him do this. We think he has got it right!

What are the company’s plans for the future? We are working hard on launching the first Ilumen and will be taking her on a tour of the Med next year. We are also in discussions with clients interested in larger Ilumen models up to 36m. So we can expect to see the launch of some larger yachts and we also have something up our sleeves for the other end of the scale.

Join the discussion

To post comments please Sign in or Register

When commenting please follow our house rules

Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here .

Sign up to the SuperyachtNews Bulletin

Receive unrivalled market intelligence, weekly headlines and the most relevant and insightful journalism directly to your inbox.

Sign up to the SuperyachtNews Bulletin

The superyachtnews app.

Follow us on

Media Pack Request

Please select exactly what you would like to receive from us by ticking the boxes below:

SuperyachtNews.com

Register to comment

Angela Pernsteiner CEO Dominator Yachts awarded the prestigious “Rising Star Award” of the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam

The prestigious Boat Builder Award celebrates and rewards outstanding business achievements of individuals and teams across key areas in the worldwide superyacht industry and is held during the METSTRADE show, the world’s largest trade exhibition of marine equipment, materials and systems.

The category Rising Star celebrates those aged 35 or under who have been making a growing impact on any aspect of their business and are therefore pioneers in the yachting industry.

Especially at the end of 2019, where Dominator Yachts celebrates its 20 th anniversary and announced the kick-off of the 42M Tri-Deck Ilumen project during the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, all the Dominator management team celebrates this important achievement. Few yacht builders have been successful at turning dreams and design concepts into reality. With the Ilumen series Dominator Yachts has transformed from being a respected motor yacht brand to one of the premier marques in the small-but-competitive custom mini-superyacht segment. Noticeably different from any other player in the industry: several different nations and several strong women, one of them another young Austrian, Sophie Hotz, who is responsible for Marketing and Angela’s sparring partner, set the tone.

When Angela Pernsteiner introduces herself outside of the marine industry, people usually look strange at her for being such an “unusual package”: young, female, grown up in Mühlviertel, the Austrian countryside world-renowned for granite stone, studied business below minimum time foreseen in the curriculum, carried out research in Neuroeconomics, founded companies in Liechtenstein, builds technically complex yachts in Italy, negotiates hard with Arabs and Russian, argues in sneakers and dusty jeans with electricians and carpenters and parties in high heels with evenings gowns on luxurious lifestyle events.

During her childhood and youth there was no school year, where she was not best-in-class. Her perseverance and perfectionism continuously increased, which was a blessing and curse at the same time. Very often she met with disappointed by her environment because she demanded too high standards not only from herself but also subconsciously from everyone around her. “Angela’s iron butt and her bull head are tough as the granite in Mühlviertel” is something she heard often.

However, only due to this perseverance she was able to finish her studies in Accounting, Finance, Controlling and Strategic Management as first person ever under minimum curriculum time with summa cum laude in Austria. Further academic and professional stations included University of Harvard, Singapore, Liechtenstein and St. Gallen, where she worked at the Chair of Accounting and Auditing amongst others, Ernst & Young Vienna or the Financial Advisory Firm FAS AG in Stuttgart. Together with her doctorate supervisor she founded the Neuro-Accounting Center and conducted research with functional magnetic resonance imaging, analyzing decision making of experts and novices in brain scanners. The more exotic and untypical something sounds; the more Angela feels attracted to it.

At Dominator Yachts, quite a lot has happened over the last 20 years and having more than 160 tailor-made yachts in the water. The core management team at Dominator Yachts is particularly proud about the last three years, where the yachting industry was revolutionized with the Dominator Ilumen series.

Dominator Yachts was not only the first shipyard in the world who developed a virtual reality experience that allowed the owner to walk through the Ilumen before she was built, but with its innovative design, style, comfort and livability as well as technological innovations, and performance, the 28M Ilumen series perfectly responds to the changed demands of owners, who nowadays want more space, light, comfort, safety, trip range while at the same time aiming at less fuel consumption, overhead and maintenance costs, less crew on board and a low draft to reach adventurous places and undiscovered bays.

The challenge for Angela and all her team was to tie a knot between very different, contrasting worlds and ideas, which was achieved thanks to an intense and tireless collaboration of highly skilled and experienced yachting individuals: Merging sleek and aggressive exterior design that one can usually only find on planing yachts with a semi-displacement hull, combining Dominator’s yacht-building tradition with extensive innovation and technology, providing a fully bespoke philosophy with not only decoration-options but offering individual choices such as propulsion system, personalized cruising speed or structural re-engineering of technical and interior spaces in a semi-custom series, integrating an interior volume of 30M on a pleasure craft registered under 24M or joining an unprecedented ceiling height of 2,18M with a stable and robust hull and a low draft to name only a few.

“#BeBold and ‘Combine Extremes for Unique Results’ were not coincidental or random choices for the motto of the 20-year anniversary of Dominator Yachts. “Personally, I consider myself as a ‘Product of two Extremes’ because my parents are so contradictory like nothing else: My father is a full-blooded entrepreneur in different industries and my biggest critic, who always throws me into ice-cold water since I was little ‘because that’s the best way to learn swimming’ or asked me if I feel sick when I didn’t bring exam results with full score back home. My mother, president of the Austrian Catholic Women, is engaged in social charity projects fighting for minorities like refugees, women or politically prosecuted people all over the world, repeats every day that I am not born to be a hamster in a running wheel (laughs). It is very likely that I love this crazy, unpredictable yachting industry exactly for this reason – because contradictions are deeply engrained in my DNA.”,says Angela and smiles.

The 42M Project MY Peppermint is aimed to be another example of pushing boundaries and creating something that the market has not seen. A category-buster, which can reach 19.5 kn like the 28M semi-displacement hull with a transoceanic range, engineered by the best Italian engineers and tested in the famous Austrian tank test of Vienna, world-renowned for military vessels and cruising ships. The presentation of this new project was celebrated in style with the well-known Austrian wine maker Kracher and the schnapps distillery Reisetbauer – both globally awarded lifestyle brands with international outreach distinguished by an Austrian down-to-earthness as Dominator Yachts likes to describe themselves equally.

Especially due to the Rising Star Award Angela will bear even more responsibility to differentiate her products and make her way in the male-dominated shark tank of the yachting industry, which also comes with the commitment to serve as a role model for young women. Since childhood, her academic and business mentors were exclusively male, that’s where her occasional rationality and coldness probably stem from. However, as she is convinced that in the long run only diversity will lead to success, she is combining her “Mühlviertler iron butt and granite head” with the right portion of Austrian warmness. It comes with no surprise that her inner circle describes Angela undoubtedly as “Love in the Heart, Snow in the Eyes, Peppermint in the Blood!”.

Related posts

DANIELA PETROZZI APPOINTED BENETTI SALES DIRECTOR

Her selection is a strong endorsement of business continuity with the aim of further consolidatingthe Shipyard’s global leadership.   Benetti is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniela Petrozzi as…

INSULA SHOWCASES SARDINIA’S EXPERIENTIAL TOURISM EXCELLENCE AT DUBAI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

Insula captivated audiences at the prestigious Dubai International Boat Show, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the multifaceted charm of Sardinia. The showcase spotlighted Sardinia’s diverse ports and immersive tours, inviting…

THE SECOND MANGUSTA OCEANO 39 IS NOW IN THE WATER

The second unit of the new Mangusta Oceano 39 series (the entry level in the Mangusta Oceano displacement line), built in composite material at the Viareggio shipyard for an American…

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• Boat Pro Home
• Superyacht Insight
• Global Order Book
• Premium Content
• Product Features
• Testimonials
• Pricing Plan
• Tenders & Equipment

Wild Water: test driving Dominator’s 10m drama queen

Dominator Yachts ' new breed of boat is a superyacht in sheep’s clothing, says Katia Damborsky …

I’m enjoying the final dish of an elaborate seven-course candlelit meal in Porto Novi, Montenegro’s luxury marina and resort, when a hush falls over the tables and our attention is diverted to the water. Suspenseful music fills the warm air and a trio of dancers with lit torches begin to perform a fire dance to a backdrop of flashing lights and giant sparklers. 

Dominator’s new 10.5-metre Midi Ilumen M35 glides into view with another dancer poised on the prow and a projection screened onto the side of the hull. This is the reason I am here in Montenegro, but this isn’t my first time seeing the boat; earlier in the day it was revealed in a similarly dramatic scenario with booming music, live violinists, and dancers bearing smoke sticks in the exclusive setting of Porto Novi’s One&Only villas.

The next day is the sea trial, and I arrive on the dock after breakfast with the cynical part of me wondering if all the fanfare is a distraction. Am I being bribed into writing nice things by fireworks, five-star hotel hotels and themed cocktails with the Dominator logo dusted into the foam? But the moment I step on board and take a proper look at Dominator’s new offering, the cynicism melts away with the realisation that the boat has the same OTT style as the big reveal.

The first thing you notice about the new Ilumen is, if you see it from a distance, it looks like a superyacht. Dominator managing partner, Angela Pernsteiner is happy with this feedback. “This is what we were aiming for,” she explains. “[Some of] our clients are accustomed to owning big yachts,” so the Ilumen 35M needs to feel like an “extension” of that. She envisions its use as a superyacht tender or as a dayboat.

The model certainly doesn’t feel out of place in the Bay of Kotor, where the sea trial is taking place. In fact, her agility makes her ideally suited to a bay like this one, where the coasts are studded with umbrella-lined beach clubs and dreamy coves. Gleaming white superyachts lumber in and out of the bay, but the Midi Ilumen 35 can gracefully dart around them, putting her 48-knot top speed to the test. I take over the wheel for a bit and we zip around, but I’m happy to give up the helm for the sunpads on the back, where I can watch the double 300hp engines leave a frothy trail in our wake.

Headquartered in Austria and constructing in Italy, Dominator traditionally builds boats between 24 and 38 metres and the new Midi Ilumen 35 is a new breed for them. The 28-metre Ilumen 28M is one of its most popular lines, and the brand has neatly transferred those elements – like the distinctive rollbar, sharp A-pillars and angular windscreen - into its latest model.

Studio Agon’s Lorenzo Berselli and NavalHEAD’s Andrea Agrusta are behind the yacht’s design and naval architecture respectively. The team didn’t let the yacht’s 10.5-metre LOA deter them from packing all the big-boat hallmarks into the Midi Ilumen 35, though. At the forward part of the boat, a sliding glass hatch leads through to a cabin that can be configured as either a berth or a saloon, with a smart glass screen that separates a head and shower. A skylight ensures the yacht lives up to the Ilumen name, and the bathroom is clad in Astana Grey marble with hints of orange that tie into the yacht’s orange theme.

On the port side of the cabin is the galley set-up which, remarkably, manages to contain a covered sink, coffee maker, storage space and counter space for basic cooking and food prep. “I have sailing yacht experience,” says Agrusta when I marvel at how much has been packed into this tight footprint. In his mind, every yachting project that he works on should be treated with the same approach to quality, design and amenities. “It’s about how you use the cards that you have on the table,” he explains. “We’re not inventing something new here”. 

Up on the deck, the superyacht-y ethos continues with wireless charging pads that blend into the teak and a cleverly integrated barbecue and ice-maker that pop up from below inconspicuous seats. Eight people can be seated around the cockpit dining area, with the table equipped with a rise-and-fall mechanism meaning it can be tucked away to create a more open area.

As we glide around the bay,  Pernsteiner takes the wheel for a little bit. "This level of quality is uncommon in this size segment," she tells me. "In this niche, there are no competitors".  She angles the wheel and we arc effortlessly around a passing superyacht that measures four times the size of the Midi Ilumen M35. This, Pernsteiner says, with a gesture of her arm, is the competition. 

LOA: 10.5m Beam: 3.2m Draught: 0.77m Engines: 2 x Sterndrive Aquamatic 300hp (Diesel) , Volvo Penta D4 300A-G / 2x Sterndrive Aquamatic 430hp (Gazoline),Volvo Penta V8 430 - DPS Speed (max/cruise): 27-45 knots depending on engines Fuel capacity: 600l

Similar yachts for sale, more stories, most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.

DOMINATOR ILUMEN AG

Boat builder awards 2019: rising star award.

AMSTERDAM. Boat Builder Award's category "Rising Star" celebrates those aged 35 or under who have been making a growing impact on any aspect of their business.

Boat Builder Awards 2019: Rising Star Award for Angela Pernsteiner

AMSTERDAM | 19.11.2019 The prestigious Boat Builder Award celebrates and rewards outstanding business achievements of individuals and teams across key areas in the worldwide superyacht builders industry. The awards gala was held yesterday night under the glittering glazed ceiling of the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.

The category " Rising Star " celebrates those aged 35 or under who have been making a growing impact on any aspect of their business .

Dominator Yachts is thrilled that Angela Pernsteiner has been recognised for her hard work and dedication to the business.

Angela Pernsteiner

Managing Partner & CEO Dominator Yachts

"Rising Star"

Boat Builder Awards 2019

• Yachts For Charter
• Luxury Yachts For Sale
• Find Yacht Brokers
• Yachting Destination Guides
• Superyacht Directory
• Superyacht News & Events
• Top 100 Yachts
• New Launches
• Latest Designs
• Interior Design
• Charter News
• Brokerage News
• Marina News
• Industry News
• Superyacht News & Events
• Angela Pernsteiner on 20 Years of Dominator...

Angela Pernsteiner on 20 Years of Dominator Yachts

With over 160 bespoke yachts sailing proudly in worldwide waters, Dominator Yachts celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year and is to present its largest ever yacht at Cannes next month. Angela Pernsteiner, Managing Partner of Dominator, took time to speak to Superyachts.com about the unique philosophy that drives the Austro-Italian shipyard.

20 Years of Tailor-made Craftsmanship Dominator’s ethos and success has evolved through a close attention to high-level individualisation that every owner wishes to have, no matter the size of the yacht. 

“ Our tireless dedication to bring industry-leading engineering and handcrafted elegance together in one 21st century yacht made us the go-to yard for a limited number of bespoke boats every year, ranging from 20 to 40 metres, ” says Angela Pernsteiner. “ Especially over the last five years, all the efforts in every department were put into being different from mass producers: collaborating with the top experts, universities and research institutions in their field to ensure that every yacht engineered and built is at the cutting edge of engineering and design, in order to offer yachts that are powerful, thrilling, beautiful and safe.”

Through the meticulous research carried out behind the scenes, Dominator offers owners an upscale high-tech construction that is known only to be used on mega yachts. “ With the new construction method of fibreglass, the Dominator Ilumen series does not only offer 10 years of warranty to the structure but also an infinite choice of completely bespoke colour choices .”

No Limitations It is therefore no surprise that Dominator is a favourite among experienced yacht owners, who appreciate the yard’s ability to provide a one-stop shop with fully-individualised specifications that remove limitations.

 “ An experienced owner appreciates this high flexibility of Dominator to cater the individual clients’ needs in relatively small sizes. On the competition level, serial mass producers can only satisfy such requirements by charging a huge extra cost or they cannot satisfy individual structural changes in the yachts at all .”

Be Bold “’BeBold’ and ‘Combine Extremes for Unique Results’ were not a coincidence nor a random choice for the motto of the 20 years brand anniversary. It is in fact the epitome of the brand identity that we have lived, developed and therefore incorporated every day in all our activities since we have combines the Austro-Italian worlds . The female team members’ DNA and every day motto is #BeBold in order to demonstrate knowledge, mental stamina and continuous technical development in this male-dominated industry.”

Dominator pursues a combination of contradictions to the extreme, something that stems naturally from a boutique family yard with a bespoke approach and international reach.

“ We were not only the first ones worldwide in the luxury and yachting industries to develop a fully immersive VR experience , but the overall project Ilumen is like tying a knot between very different, contrasting worlds and ideas… We tied a knot between young, tireless and entrepreneurial people and older, experienced craftsmen. More than anything, we knotted two very different cultures – Austrian and Italian – which proved to be our most unique treasure: to melt the structures and the creativity, the rules and the emotions, the colder Northern European and the passionate Southern European in one pot .”

The ‘Lederhosen’ and ‘Prada’ Moods The seamless merging of contradictory approaches is apparent in what Angela Pernsteiner describes as the two ‘moods’ that the Dominator team work in.

“ Everyone in our team can and loves to be in the ‘Lederhosen-Mood’, which means feet on the ground, supporting in production and being the entrepreneur, wearing five different hats at the same time that a small team sometimes demands. In the next moment, we are equally confident in the ‘Prada-Mood’ showing our handcrafted masterpieces at the boatshows, having international artists perform at our events and brainstorming together with our clients in their villas about the next projects .”

Bigger and Bolder Since the Dominator Ilumen concept was first presented at Cannes Yachting Festival in 2016, the Ilumen yachts have amassed an impressive collection of awards including Best Innovation at the Cannes World Yacht Trophies. This year, Dominator will unveil the in-construction 42 metre TriDeck on Friday of this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival. The 42 metre superyacht is intended to emulate its predecessors at the World Yacht Trophy, and encapsulates Dominator’s approach that “ genius is measured by quality and innovation, not quantity .”

Photo Gallery:

By: George Bains Published: 29th Aug 2019

• SAMAYA Captain Talks Career Highlights and Superyacht Hubs
• The Bugatti-inspired Tender Leading a Hybrid Evolution
• Meet the Designer: Oz Lancaster
• The Unique Experience of Building a Bespoke Superyacht
• MORE NEWS  »

• COMPANY PROFILE: 
• FILED IN: 
• , Industry News
• , SY Exclusives

Mangusta Launches First Flagship Oceano 50

New Amico & Co Superyacht Hub Opens in Genoa

Just in time for what looks set to be a thriving summer season ahead...

The Award-Winning Marina Invigorating the Yachting Spirit

When Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay was awarded Club of the...

A ‘Made in Italy’ Masterpiece: Flagship Ferretti Yachts 1000

Ferretti Yachts 1000, the new flagship of the iconic Italian brand ..

CL Yachts' Flagship Explorer CLX96 About to Launch

Florida-based shipbuilder CL Yachts has announced the impending...

Burgess Announces Sale of 64m Codecasa SOKAR

Turquoise Unveils 84m Project Atlas

Hot on the heels of the delivery of Ice-Class Blue II, Turquoise Yachts has unveiled new...

IYR Announces Sale of Ex-Formula 1 Star's 25m Yacht JURIK

International Yacht Register (IYR) has announced the sale of...

• 41m The Shadow Available Through Dominator
• MYS 19: Dominator Yachts on Boutique Tailoring
• Dominator Unveils In-Construction 42m Flagship
• Dominator Ilumen Moves into 30m+ Market
• DIBS '19: Dominating the UAE with Dominator Yachts
• Company Profile
• Advertise with us
• Terms of Use
• User Conduct
• Registered Users
• Privacy Policy

©2009 Superyachts.com Ltd. All rights reserved.

©2011 Design Updated by Superyachts.com Ltd.

• Trending Topics:
• Yacht Industry
• Absolute Yachts

Angela Pernsteiner

Angela Pernsteiner was awarded the prestigious “Rising Star Award”

The prestigious Boat Builder Award celebrates and rewards outstanding business achievements of individuals and teams across key areas in the worldwide superyacht industry and is held during the METSTRADE show, the world’s largest trade exhibition of marine equipment, materials and systems.

The category Rising Star celebrates those aged 35 or under who have been making a growing impact on any aspect of their business and are therefore pioneers in the yachting industry.

Especially at the end of 2019, where Dominator Yachts celebrates its 20th anniversary and announced the kick-off of the 42M Tri-Deck Ilumen project during the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, all the Dominator management team celebrates this important achievement. Few yacht builders have been successful at turning dreams and design concepts into reality. With the Ilumen series Dominator Yachts has transformed from being a respected motor yacht brand to one of the premier marques in the small-but-competitive custom mini-superyacht segment. Noticeably different from any other player in the industry: several different nations and several strong women, one of them another young Austrian, Sophie Hotz, who is responsible for Marketing and Angela’s sparring partner, set the tone.

When Angela Pernsteiner introduces herself outside of the marine industry, people usually look strange at her for being such an “unusual package”: young, female, grown up in Mühlviertel, the Austrian countryside world-renowned for granite stone, studied business below minimum time foreseen in the curriculum, carried out research in Neuroeconomics, founded companies in Liechtenstein, builds technically complex yachts in Italy, negotiates hard with Arabs and Russian, argues in sneakers and dusty jeans with electricians and carpenters and parties in high heels with evenings gowns on luxurious lifestyle events.

During her childhood and youth there was no school year, where she was not best-in-class. Her perseverance and perfectionism continuously increased, which was a blessing and curse at the same time. Very often she met with disappointed by her environment because she demanded too high standards not only from herself but also subconsciously from everyone around her. “Angela’s iron butt and her bull head are tough as the granite in Mühlviertel” is something she heard often.

However, only due to this perseverance she was able to finish her studies in Accounting, Finance, Controlling and Strategic Management as first person ever under minimum curriculum time with summa cum laude in Austria. Further academic and professional stations included University of Harvard, Singapore, Liechtenstein and St. Gallen, where she worked at the Chair of Accounting and Auditing amongst others, Ernst & Young Vienna or the Financial Advisory Firm FAS AG in Stuttgart. Together with her doctorate supervisor she founded the Neuro-Accounting Center and conducted research with functional magnetic resonance imaging, analyzing decision making of experts and novices in brain scanners. The more exotic and untypical something sounds; the more Angela feels attracted to it.

At Dominator Yachts, quite a lot has happened over the last 20 years and having more than 160 tailor-made yachts in the water. The core management team at Dominator Yachts is particularly proud about the last three years, where the yachting industry was revolutionized with the Dominator Ilumen series.

Dominator Yachts was not only the first shipyard in the world who developed a virtual reality experience that allowed the owner to walk through the Ilumen before she was built, but with its innovative design, style, comfort and livability as well as technological innovations, and performance, the 28M Ilumen series perfectly responds to the changed demands of owners, who nowadays want more space, light, comfort, safety, trip range while at the same time aiming at less fuel consumption, overhead and maintenance costs, less crew on board and a low draft to reach adventurous places and undiscovered bays.

The challenge for Angela and all her team was to tie a knot between very different, contrasting worlds and ideas, which was achieved thanks to an intense and tireless collaboration of highly skilled and experienced yachting individuals: Merging sleek and aggressive exterior design that one can usually only find on planing yachts with a semi-displacement hull, combining Dominator’s yacht-building tradition with extensive innovation and technology, providing a fully bespoke philosophy with not only decoration-options but offering individual choices such as propulsion system, personalized cruising speed or structural re-engineering of technical and interior spaces in a semi-custom series, integrating an interior volume of 30M on a pleasure craft registered under 24M or joining an unprecedented ceiling height of 2,18M with a stable and robust hull and a low draft to name only a few.

“#BeBold and ‘Combine Extremes for Unique Results’ were not coincidental or random choices for the motto of the 20-year anniversary of Dominator Yachts. “Personally, I consider myself as a 'Product of two Extremes' because my parents are so contradictory like nothing else: My father is a full-blooded entrepreneur in different industries and my biggest critic, who always throws me into ice-cold water since I was little ‘because that’s the best way to learn swimming’ or asked me if I feel sick when I didn’t bring exam results with full score back home. My mother, president of the Austrian Catholic Women, is engaged in social charity projects fighting for minorities like refugees, women or politically prosecuted people all over the world, repeats every day that I am not born to be a hamster in a running wheel (laughs). It is very likely that I love this crazy, unpredictable yachting industry exactly for this reason - because contradictions are deeply engrained in my DNA.”, says Angela and smiles.

The 42M Project MY Peppermint is aimed to be another example of pushing boundaries and creating something that the market has not seen. A category-buster, which can reach 19.5 kn like the 28M semi-displacement hull with a transoceanic range, engineered by the best Italian engineers and tested in the famous Austrian tank test of Vienna, world-renowned for military vessels and cruising ships. The presentation of this new project was celebrated in style with the well-known Austrian wine maker Kracher and the schnapps distillery Reisetbauer – both globally awarded lifestyle brands with international outreach distinguished by an Austrian down-to-earthness as Dominator Yachts likes to describe themselves equally.

Especially due to the Rising Star Award Angela will bear even more responsibility to differentiate her products and make her way in the male-dominated shark tank of the yachting industry, which also comes with the commitment to serve as a role model for young women. Since childhood, her academic and business mentors were exclusively male, that’s where her occasional rationality and coldness probably stem from. However, as she is convinced that in the long run only diversity will lead to success, she is combining her “Mühlviertler iron butt and granite head” with the right portion of Austrian warmness. It comes with no surprise that her inner circle describes Angela undoubtedly as “Love in the Heart, Snow in the Eyes, Peppermint in the Blood!”.

Brest Atlantiques race - The trimarans make their own way

The merry fisher 605 marlin is named best of boats 2019, related posts.

• Yacht industry

Dominator Yachts' new Midi Ilumen M35 M/Y Safespace unveiled

• Boot Dusseldorf
• yacht design

Dominator Yachts Day Boat series at Boot Düsseldorf 2022

Boat International Design & Innovation Award 2020 goes to Dominator Yachts

• Motorcycles
• Car of the Month
• Destinations
• Men’s Fashion
• Watch Collector
• Art & Collectibles
• Vacation Homes
• Celebrity Homes
• New Construction
• Home Design
• Electronics
• Fine Dining
• Les Marquables de Martell
• Mira Villas
• Panther National
• Reynolds Lake Oconee
• Wynn Las Vegas
• 672 Wine Club
• Sports & Leisure
• Health & Wellness
• Best of the Best
• The Ultimate Gift Guide

Boat of the Week: This Sleek New 35-Foot Express Cruiser Thinks It’s a Superyacht—and That’s the Point

Dominator's new midi ilumen 35 is the ultimate weekender, styled after its 92-foot sistership. we get the first ride in montenegro., howard walker, howard walker's most recent stories.

• This 112-Foot Superyacht Has an Interior That’ll Make Your Manhattan Condo Jealous
• This 1967 Shelby GT500 Has Been Reimagined to Perfection. Now It’s up for Grabs.
• One of Ferrari’s Earliest Formula 1 Cars Is Now Up for Grabs
• Share This Article

Related Stories

Wider yachts is debuting a 92-foot hybrid catamaran at the venice boat show—here’s a first look.

• The New Bentley Continental GT Will Be the Marque’s Most Powerful Car Ever
• A Tesla Owner in Maine Says His Cybertruck Has Been Spat on and Scratched

Only when it eases off plane and glides through the entrance to Montenegro’s new Portonovi Marina is the confusion answered. This thing is definitely “midi.” Even “mini.” As in just 35 feet length overall.

“That was our thinking; to create an 11-meter sports boat with all the DNA, the style, and luxury of our 28-meter,” says Dominator Managing Partner, Angela Pernsteiner . “This is an important new niche for us, and very different to our established business of building superyachts in the 20- to 42-meter range.”

We’ve come to this tiny boating paradise on Europe’s Adriatic Sea, on the border with Croatia, to put this head-turning mini-superyacht through its paces on the Bay.

Priced between €900,000 and €1.2 million ($1 million to $1.35 million), the new Midi Ilumen is aimed at the top end of the luxury weekender market. Buyers, according to Pernsteiner, will likely range from superyacht owners looking for a bespoke, luxury tender, to wealthy consumers wanting a unique sportboat they can customize like a Rolls-Royce.

Just don’t expect to see one tied to the docks at every waterfront eatery; fewer than 10 a year will be built at Dominator’s yard in Trieste, northeast Italy, with each one taking up to eight months to complete.

Hull #1—already sold and christened SafeSpace —has a hand-laid teak deck, mirror-polished stainless steel around the spacious cockpit, a compact cabin filled with bookmatched Astana gray marble (contrasting with the hand-stitched Nubuck leather), and oak floors.

Dominator designer Lorenzo Berselli points out the styling cues that he incorporated from the Ilumen 28M. From the full-beam, glass-filled bulwarks in the cockpit, that deliver an open-air feel while adding protection from wind and spray, to the wraparound windshield, with its cut-down center to give access to the wide foredeck.

“It would have been much easier to create a different boat. But the brief was to keep the look and proportions of the Ilumen 28M and make it, unmistakably, a Dominator,” said Berselli.

For the Ilumen’s planing hull, Dominator chief engineer Andrea Agrusta, came up with a bold design capable of delivering a 52 mph top speed which, as I discovered, also delivers a smooth ride and nimble handling. Like the bigger Dominators, it uses vacuum-bagged GRP construction with carbon-fiber stringers to add strength.

“This is not a light boat, being built as much for comfort as outright speed,” explains Agrusta. “The aim was to make few demands on the driver and give those on board a feeling of safety and security.”

Powering the test boat is a pair of 300 hp Volvo D4 turbo diesels mated to Volvo Aquamatic sterndrives. Part of the reason for the drives is that when they’re in the up position, the Ilumen draws just 27 inches, so it can access shallow depths—or, as a tender, it can squeeze into a superyacht garage.

Push forward on the throttles and the Midi Ilumen gathers speed and climbs on plane with determination rather than immediacy. There’s a lot of weight here—around 9.5 tons—from those twin Volvos, Seakeeper 2 gyro stabilizer, and Fischer Panda diesel generator.

Want to go faster? There’s the option of twin 440 hp Volvo D6s, or 430 hp Volvo gas V8s for a 50 mph-plus top speed. Even Mercury Verado 600 V-12 outboards, if you’re so inclined. But with the fuel-sipping D4s throttled back to an easy, hushed, 25 mph cruise, there’s over 300 miles of range.

Depending on the reception the 35-feet Midi Ilumen receives, Dominator has plans to bookend the Midi with a 23-foot open day boat version and a stretched 46-footer with a bigger cabin. “We like to think that superyachts can come in all sizes,” Pernsteiner adds.

Click here for more images of the Dominator Midi Ilumen 35.

Read More On:

• Dominator Yachts

More Marine

Killer Whales Sunk a 50-Foot Sailing Yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar

This New 394-Foot Custom Superyacht Will Be the Largest Amels Yet

Inside Ilma, Ritz-Carlton’s New Gargantuan 224-Suite Luxury Cruise Liner

Culinary Masters 2024

MAY 17 - 19 Join us for extraordinary meals from the nation’s brightest culinary minds.

Give the Gift of Luxury

Latest Galleries in Marine

Project Tanzanite in Photos

Ritz-Carlton Ilma Superyacht in Photos

More from our brands, the ring watch makes its latest comeback, under armour plans revamp after dour earnings report, ‘grand theft auto 6’ sets fall 2025 release as take-two posts $2.9 billion quarterly loss, california’s famed wayfarers chapel, designed by lloyd wright, to be dismantled, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors.

DOMINATOR ILUMEN AG

Yes you are unique., dominator bespoke luxury yachts, be a part of the dominator family.

If you choose a Dominator, you can be sure that there is no other like yours in the world. What we build for you is as unique as your personality, your dreams and your wishes. Immerse yourself in a luxury playground by the sea!

The Power of Light and Space.

Perfectly crafted.

The result is a modern masterpiece that blends advanced technology and engineering, peerless Italian design, the finest materials and handcrafted excellence.

The Process of Excellence

We create your Dominator around your personality, your dreams and your wishes, inviting you to participate in the process if you wish and give shape to your vision.

Ready for a Challenge

A Dominator yacht is ready to be put to the challenge – a beautiful ship whose advanced dynamic and absolute comfort on the water has to be experienced to be believed.

Become one with your Yacht

A Dominator is the supreme extension of your lifestyle – stylish, exhilarating and seductively luxurious – for the ultimate yachting experience.

News & Events

Dominator Midi Ilumen M35 Launch

The Dominator Midi Ilumen - MY SAFESPACE

BOAT International Design & Innovation Award 2020

Get in touch, find out more about the world of dominator..