The allure of private yachts and aircraft lies not only in their elegance and prestige but also in the intricate orchestration required behind the scenes. Each vessel and plane carries a labyrinth of technical systems, regulatory obligations, and operational demands that must be managed with precision. Owners seek experiences defined by freedom, comfort, and reliability, yet achieving this requires navigating complex compliance standards, high financial stakes, and a fragmented service industry. The challenge extends beyond mechanics and regulations to encompass sustainability, crew management, and strategic planning, creating a landscape where passion alone cannot ensure smooth ownership.
Daniel Küpfer and his company YANOVA have emerged as a force that transforms this complexity into clarity. With a vision rooted in personal ownership experience and deep industry expertise, Daniel and his team stand out by combining operational mastery, technical knowledge, and strategic advisory in both yachting and aviation.
Redefining Luxury Management through Vision and Partnership
Daniel founded YANOVA with a clear intention to bring unity and client-centered purpose to two traditionally fragmented industries: yachting and aviation. Both fields are dominated by long-established players, yet many clients continue to face disjointed service structures that fail to deliver complete solutions. Recognizing this, Daniel envisioned a company that takes a holistic approach, placing the client’s interests at the heart of every decision.
His personal experience as an owner shaped much of YANOVA’s philosophy. Having witnessed the challenges and inefficiencies within both sectors, Daniel wanted to create a model that aligns expertise with empathy. He also identified a generational shift among professionals, where younger talents seek meaning and shared purpose rather than material rewards alone. Reflecting this belief, YANOVA was founded as a partnership from the very beginning, allowing talented individuals within the industry to become true partners in the business and to grow alongside it.
Strategy as the True Measure of Luxury
For Daniel, strategic direction is not a distant corporate phrase but the foundation of every successful decision in yachting and aviation. In luxury industries driven by passion and emotion, clients often face the temptation to make impulsive choices that can lead to substantial losses. Daniel believes that maintaining clarity and foresight is essential in such high-value environments.
YANOVA’s role is to stand firmly behind the client, offering structure, analysis, and control without stifling the sense of freedom and joy that luxury ownership provides. Often, those who assist clients in decision-making are trusted figures such as family offices, private bankers, or even captains. YANOVA complements and supports these individuals by integrating all aspects of management through its holistic understanding of both industries. This approach ensures that every decision is informed, balanced, and aligned with the client’s long-term vision.
A Distinctive Model that Bridges Two Worlds
What truly sets YANOVA apart, according to Daniel, is its ability to merge yachting and aviation expertise at a level rarely seen in the industry. Traditionally, companies in these fields fall into two categories. Transaction-focused firms are driven by commissions and the need to close deals quickly, while technically oriented firms excel in operational services but often remain detached from the commercial and strategic dimensions.
YANOVA successfully bridges this divide. Daniel emphasizes that the company’s foundation rests on deep technical and operational mastery, upon which its transactional and advisory services are built. This order of priorities ensures that commercial guidance always stems from authentic technical understanding. It allows YANOVA to serve clients with both precision and integrity, ensuring their investments are managed wisely and their experiences remain seamless.
At the Core of YANOVA
YANOVA is a consulting and management company offering a comprehensive suite of premier services in the private yacht and aviation sectors. The company provides client representation, new construction services, operational and technical management, budgeting and cash flow management, employment solutions, compliance services, as well as crisis management and media response.
At the heart of YANOVA’s service lies strategic insight and long-term perspective, ensuring that every client enjoys the freedom, pleasure, and privilege of ownership with confidence and peace of mind.
Balancing Freedom with Responsibility
For Daniel, the key to balancing the pleasure and privilege of ownership with the practicalities of risk management, regulation, and operations lies entirely in the mindset. Many see these aspects as opposing forces, but Daniel views them as deeply interconnected. He believes that true enjoyment of luxury ownership can only exist on a foundation of structure and safety. At YANOVA, risk management, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence are not obstacles to freedom but enablers of it. By ensuring that every process runs seamlessly, Daniel and his team allow clients to experience the full pleasure and confidence that come with owning yachts and aircraft, free from unnecessary complications or risks.
Aligning Diverse Expectations through a Shared Vision
Daniel’s approach to working with owners, family offices, and industry partners begins with one central principle, the client’s best interest. He emphasizes that when all parties involved share this goal, collaboration becomes both natural and effective. YANOVA’s structure allows it to adapt flexibly, filling gaps or leading initiatives when needed, ensuring that every stakeholder works in harmony toward the same outcome. Daniel also recognizes the importance of drawing on external expertise when it benefits the client. He believes no single entity can master every aspect of such complex industries, and inviting the right partners into a project ultimately enhances quality and value for money.
Collaboration Built on Integrity
When it comes to representing family offices or trusts, Daniel sees collaboration as both rewarding and demanding. He appreciates these structures because they bring professional management, clarity of purpose, and well-defined responsibilities. Such organizations understand the client’s needs deeply and operate with high standards of trust and accountability. Daniel explains that for cooperation to thrive, a service provider must meet those same standards and demonstrate equal professionalism. YANOVA ensures that its managers and consultants uphold the same level of diligence, transparency, and excellence expected by family offices and trusts. This alignment of principles makes partnership smooth, efficient, and mutually respectful, reinforcing YANOVA’s commitment to integrity and reliability in every engagement.
Placing ESG at the Core of Ownership
Daniel explains that ESG has become a defining element across industries, and YANOVA was established with responsible ownership built into its foundation from day one. Unlike legacy companies that must retrofit procedures to meet evolving requirements, YANOVA integrates ESG practices across all services. This approach gives clients confidence that sustainability is not an afterthought but a core principle. In yachting and aviation, Daniel identifies two principal areas of focus: construction, including recycling and resource management, and operations, which cover the entire life cycle of yachts and aircraft.
Following the directions of the United Nations, international maritime and aviation organisations such as the IMO and ICAO have established challenging goals that are compulsory to meet. For example, the IMO’s goal is to reduce CO₂ emissions in shipping by at least 40 percent by 2030, and to make shipping carbon neutral by 2050. The ICAO aims for net zero CO₂ emissions in international civil aviation by 2050 and has other goals such as mitigating aircraft noise, NOx, and particulate emissions. YANOVA ensures clients are informed about these requirements and helps them meet tomorrow’s standards today. In addition, many clients voluntarily participate in initiatives that promote a more sustainable future, reflecting the company’s commitment to practical and proactive environmental responsibility.
Integrating Sustainability into Luxury Experiences
It is correct that private yachting and aviation are often exempt from the standards required in commercial business aviation or for charter yachts. YANOVA recommends that its clients apply commercially required standards to their private crafts wherever technically possible and even adopt upcoming standards ahead of time. This includes a wide range of considerations beyond emissions, such as employment and living conditions on board, marine life protection, and operational efficiency. By embedding responsibility into every aspect of ownership, the company achieves tangible results rather than engaging in superficial initiatives or greenwashing.
Daniel also highlights YANOVA’s proactive role in developing environmentally friendly concepts for the industry. One notable example is a sailing cruise vessel operation developed together with a renowned naval architecture office. The company is currently seeking investors who share its values and vision for this flagship project. By combining innovation, technical expertise, and sustainability, YANOVA demonstrates that luxury ownership can be responsible, forward-thinking, and aligned with broader environmental goals.
Synergies Between Yachting and Aviation
Daniel notes that private yachting and aviation often serve the same clientele, creating natural synergies for YANOVA. At the corporate, compliance, and financial levels, both assets require similar management structures, with only minor distinctions between the two sectors. By combining services across yachting and aviation, YANOVA streamlines processes and ensures consistency for clients. Additionally, Daniel believes that the safety culture in aviation can positively influence the yachting division, raising standards and reinforcing best practices across the board.
The Growing Role of Private Aviation
Daniel emphasizes the unique value of time as the one resource that cannot be purchased, regardless of wealth. This principle underscores the growing importance of private and business aviation. As lifestyles and business demands accelerate, private aviation offers efficiency, flexibility, and convenience that traditional travel cannot match. Daniel acknowledges the challenges posed by evolving sustainability standards, particularly in aviation, yet he remains optimistic about finding innovative solutions and contributing to responsible progress in the sector.
Insight into Future Trends
Daniel identifies three major trends that YANOVA is closely monitoring. First, there is a notable generational shift in client wealth, with younger owners guided by different ideals and priorities. YANOVA sees potential in aligning services with these evolving expectations. Second, environmental requirements present significant challenges, especially in aviation where alternative and eco-friendly fuels are harder to integrate than in maritime operations. Daniel stresses that the industry must proactively present solutions to clients rather than waiting for demand to emerge. Third, employment dynamics are changing, as younger professionals in both sectors expect meaningful work and growth opportunities. YANOVA focuses on creating a strong foundation that motivates and equips younger team members to deliver increasingly high service standards at the pace expected in a digitally influenced age.
Roadmap for Luxury Ownership
Looking ahead, Daniel envisions YANOVA as a driving force in the evolution of yachting and aviation. He aims to introduce innovative concepts that support a smooth transition for both sectors, addressing environmental, operational, and generational challenges. Ultimately, YANOVA’s mission is to ensure that clients can continue to enjoy their passion for yachting and aviation, now and into the future, with the same freedom, pleasure, and privilege that have always defined luxury ownership.
Strategic Choice of Liechtenstein
YANOVA was established in Liechtenstein for strategic reasons. Daniel explains that the country offers efficient administration, a high-quality work ethos, and a practical location at the heart of Europe. Liechtenstein is tax transparent and fully compliant with the latest OECD standards, making it attractive to investors and professional partners. Its geographic position also benefits clients, lying near top European shipyards and the most popular cruising grounds, while being central to business and private aviation hubs. This combination of factors enhances operational efficiency and convenience for clients from regions such as the Middle East and the United States.
Steering YANOVA’s Aviation Vision
While YANOVA is not a family business, Daniel highlights the involvement of his niece, Aliena Sütterlin, who joined as a Co-Founder this year. An experienced aviation manager, Aliena leads the aviation department and brings fresh perspectives to the business. Daniel expresses pride in seeing the younger generation contribute to the company, confident that Aliena and her highly motivated team will continue to drive YANOVA forward, ensuring its growth and leadership in the luxury yachting and aviation sectors.
