Superyacht Leadership: What Happens on the Bridge Matters Most
- Yachting International Radio
- Apr 23
- 5 min read
Superyacht leadership is rarely defined by the moments people see.
It takes shape on the bridge, where decisions unfold in real time, where communication either holds or fractures under pressure, and where outcomes are often determined long before they are visible beyond the vessel itself. It is not a role built on visibility, but on consistency, awareness, and the ability to navigate complexity without losing clarity.
For Alicia Store, this is not a concept to be explained. It is the environment she has worked within for nearly two decades.
As Chief Operating Officer at dsnm ltd, her role extends across a global fleet, supporting vessels as they navigate not only oceans, but the systems, expectations, and pressures that now define modern yachting. It is a position that sits just beyond the visible edge of the industry, yet one that directly influences how safely and effectively it operates at scale.
“We’ve got a lot of boats moving… a lot of new builds coming out the yard and a lot of boats that have had refits… so yeah, we’re lovely and busy.”
Within that constant movement, patterns begin to form. Not just in how systems perform, but in how people engage with them, how decisions are shaped, and how outcomes are ultimately determined.
Technology has transformed the bridge. Digital navigation systems have replaced paper charts across much of the fleet, integrating planning, compliance, and execution into a far more connected operational environment. Efficiency has increased, access to information has improved, and expectations have risen accordingly.
And yet, beneath that transformation, something far more fundamental remains unchanged.
The effectiveness of any system still depends on how it is understood, communicated, and applied by the people using it.
Superyacht Leadership in a System-Driven Industry
The modern bridge reflects an industry that has embraced progress at scale. Systems are more capable, more integrated, and more precise than ever before, creating an operational environment that appears increasingly controlled.
But control, in practice, is rarely absolute.
As systems become more advanced, they reshape the way crews interact with them. Information may be immediate, but it still requires interpretation. Processes may be streamlined, but they remain dependent on the clarity and confidence of those executing them. The margin for error may narrow, but the consequences of misunderstanding become more pronounced.
This is where Alicia’s perspective carries weight.
Working across hundreds of vessels has revealed a consistent reality. Technology does not remove uncertainty. It shifts where it sits. It creates efficiencies while introducing dependencies, and it challenges crews to maintain fluency not only in how systems operate, but in how they fail.
“They’d fit the equipment, but then they just wouldn’t support it afterwards… we wanted to be the people you could pick up the phone to when there’s a problem.”
It is a practical observation, but one that speaks to a broader gap that still exists across the industry.
Superyacht leadership, within this environment, is not defined by the presence of technology, but by the confidence with which it is used. The most effective operators are those who can move between system and instinct without hesitation, maintaining clarity even when the structure around them appears seamless.
The Bridge as a Human Environment
For all its instrumentation and structure, the bridge remains, at its core, a human space.
It is shaped by hierarchy, by experience, and by the relationships between those operating within it. Decisions are rarely isolated. Outcomes are rarely the result of a single action. They are built through a sequence of exchanges, often subtle, often unnoticed, but always significant.
The difference between a bridge that functions and one that performs is not immediately visible.
It exists in whether a junior crew member feels able to speak without hesitation. In whether a concern is raised early, or allowed to pass unspoken. In whether communication is treated as routine, or understood as the foundation of safe operation.
“If that junior crew member speaks once and gets shut down… they won’t speak again.”
What appears, from the outside, to be a technical environment is in reality a cultural one. And culture, more than any system, determines how effectively that environment operates under pressure.
Superyacht leadership, in its most effective form, is reflected in the conditions it creates, in the clarity it enables, and in the confidence it instills across the team.
Beyond Navigation: The Reality of Leading People
The complexity of leadership does not end at the bridge. It extends into every aspect of life onboard, where performance and proximity exist side by side, and where the demands placed on individuals are both professional and deeply personal.
Crew operate within an environment that requires resilience, adaptability, and consistency, often under sustained pressure. Expectations remain high, and the margin for error remains narrow.
Within that environment, leadership becomes something far more nuanced than instruction.
It requires an understanding that individuals do not operate in identical ways. That performance is shaped as much by environment as by skill. And that leadership must adapt accordingly.
“I’ve never met two people that need managing the same way.”
It is a simple observation, but one that reflects a broader truth across the industry.
From onboarding through to long-term development, the ability to recognise, support, and align individuals within a wider structure becomes as important as any technical capability.
On The Bridge: Understanding the Industry Through People
It is within this same understanding that On The Bridge has taken shape.
What began as curiosity has evolved into a platform that brings forward the individuals behind the industry, not as roles, but as people with experiences that extend far beyond what is typically seen.
“I’m a super nosy person… I just really enjoy hearing people’s stories.”
There is clarity in that approach.
In an industry increasingly shaped by short-form content, there is growing value in depth. In context. In allowing space for individuals to articulate not only what they do, but how they arrived there, and what has shaped their perspective along the way.
The result is not simply insight, but connection.
A recognition that the industry is not defined solely by vessels or systems, but by the people who operate within it.
Alicia Store and the Weight of Experience
What ultimately defines Alicia’s contribution is consistency.
A consistent understanding of how systems, people, and pressure intersect. A consistent approach to leadership that prioritises clarity over control. And a consistent willingness to engage with the realities of the industry as they are.
From early roles within yachting to building and scaling a company over nearly two decades, the trajectory reflects both growth and adaptability, shaped through experience rather than assumption.
“We started with four people and about 30 clients… and just grew from there.”
There is no shortcut in that.
Only time, repetition, and a clear understanding of where value is created.
A Strategic Alignment with Yachting International Radio
The addition of On The Bridge to the Yachting International Radio network comes not as a shift in direction, but as a natural extension of what has already been established.
It brings with it a body of work defined by depth, consistency, and a clear understanding of the industry from within. It brings a platform that has already earned the trust of some of the most respected voices in yachting. And it brings a perspective that aligns with a broader move toward more considered, more meaningful dialogue.
In Alicia Store, and in On The Bridge, there is a rare combination of operational authority and human insight.
It is precisely that combination that strengthens the YIR network.
Not by adding noise, but by elevating the conversation.
Not by broadening reach for the sake of it, but by ensuring that the voices shaping the industry are represented with the clarity and depth they deserve.
And in doing so, extending that insight to a global audience that continues to look beyond the surface, and toward the reality of how this industry truly operates.
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