Qualification & skills: Addressing current and future challenges
International Breakfast Meeting 2023
boot Düsseldorf and European Boating Industry celebrated the eighth edition of the annual International Breakfast Meeting on January Tuesday 24th. The topic was "Qualification & skills: Addressing current and future challenges.
It was a successful International Breakfast Meeting
140 participants attended the breakfast meeting
boot Düsseldorf and the European Boating Industry hosted the eighth annual International Breakfast Meeting on Tuesday 24 January from 08:30 to 10:30.
This year was the focus in one of the most expanded challenges for the industry, the lack of workers with the skills needed by the industry. Under the title "Qualifications and skills: Addressing the current and future challenges", top-level speakers from the sector, associations and European institutions got together and discussed and shared solutions for the boating industry.
This was the agenda of the 8. International Breakfast Meeting 2023
Qualifications & skills: Addressing the current and future challenges
09:10 – 09:40 Showcasing the problem and finding solutions Ione Astondoa (Marketing Manager and a Management Board Member, Astondoa) Christos Petreas (Scientific Advisor, Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Bareboat Association, SITESAP) Paris – George Loutriotis (President, Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Bareboat Association, SITESAP) 09:40 – 10:00 Best practices pitches Vinzenz Batt (Director, Swiss Boating Industry Association) Jean Paul Chapeleau (Adviser to the board, Group Beneteau & President, Fédération des Industries Nautiques) 10:00 – 10:15 Reaction from the European Commission Andy Kontoudakis (Policy Officer, European Commission DG Maritime Affairs)
Ione Astondoa - Astondoa, Marketing Manager and a Management Board Member
Ione Astondoa is Marketing Manager and a Management Board Member at Astilleros Astondoa, where she has been working since 2018. She has had various roles, especially in the communication and marketing management department, as well as in the management of the company.
She holds a degree in Tourism and Business Administration from Universidad de Alicante, the same institution where, years later, she completed the Executive Programme in Strategic Productivity Management. Ione also holds a Master's Degree in Digital Marketing from ESUMA.
Christos Petreas - SITESAP, Scientific Advisor
Christos Petreas is a USA educated tourism and business economist, expert in regional, tourism and SME development. He has worked as an advisor to the Greek Ministers of Tourism and other ministries, and in European programmes of technical assistance to governments of third countries (Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean basin).
Mr. Petreas has published numerous works (books, contributions to chapters, scientific papers, articles - >200), reports and research projects (>120), and is professionally active as an independent consultant in supporting institutions, organisations, public and private governmental entities, for the valorisation, improvement, strategic economic development and for the promotion of tourism resources, activities and destinations, with emphasis on special - alternative forms of tourism. He is also an accomplished academic (>25 semesters) as a teacher, lecturer, instructor.
Paris Loutriotis - SITESAP, President
Paris Loutriotis has been engaged in the activities of professional tourist boats for more than 30 years, in various capacities; while also owning and managing boats, he has been active in professional and trade union bodies and organizations. In 2004 he founded and is Managing Director of EXADAS YACHTS – CHARTERS – SERVICE – SALES.
Mr. LOUTRIOTIS holds various diplomas in nautical knowledge and boat skippering, among others from the British organization RYA/MCA and for training in technical and rescue issues and management in the tourism industry. He is licensee from the Ministry of Tourism for the profession of Shipbroker since 2009, and since 2004, he has been the Technical Director – After Sales Manager, of AZIMUT Yachts Greece.
Member of SITESAP – Hellenic Professional Bareboat Yacht Owners Association since 2002; elected continuously as Member of the Board of Directors of SITESAP – currently serves his second term as President. He has also served as Vice President of the Hellenic Yacht Brokers Association and of the General Pan-Hellenic Federation of Tourism Enterprises and is a member of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping.
Since 2017 he is Founding Member and Chairman of the Steering Committee of “COLLECTIVE AND SOCIAL BENEFIT COMPANY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT, USE AND EXPLOITATION OF NAUTICAL MOORING FACILITIES” a Social Cooperative Enterprise of yachting business persons.
Jean Paul Chapeleau - Groupe Beneteau, Adviser & FIN, President
Jean-Paul Chapeleau is adviser to the CEO and Chairman of the French Federation of Nautical Industries. Previously he was Deputy CEO in charge of industrial operations and development. He was part of the Group's Management Board from 2014 to 2022. Since 2009 and until March 2020, he was the General Manager of Jeanneau and Prestige. He passed the helm to Paul Blanc in April 2020.
A business school graduate, Jean-Paul Chapeleau joined Jeanneau in 1980. After a first five-year assignment in sales management, he was Director of Logistics for Jeanneau until 1995. He then served as Aftersales and Customer Service Director for 10 years. From 1992 to 1999, Jean-Paul Chapeleau was instrumental in the development of Jeanneau's production in Poland. From 2006 to 2009, he was in charge of Jeanneau's marketing, before later heading up its business development.
Andy Kontoudakis - DG MARE – Unit A1 – Maritime Innovation, Marine Knowledge and Investment, Policy Officer
Andy Kontoudakis is currently a policy officer in DG MARE, in the unit for Maritime Innovation, Marine Knowledge and Investment (A1). She is a shipping and maritime economist and an energy economist with a Masters’ degree in European and International Studies.
Prior to her post in DG MARE she has held office as a special scientist in the Greek Energy Regulator (RAE – until 2006), as a European Commission policy officer in various DGs (DG Education and Culture and DG Energy – from 2006) and as the Greek energy attaché and an Atomic Questions attaché on behalf of the Greek Permanent Representation to the EU in the Council of the European Union (period 2009 -2013), negotiating relevant legislation. She is currently in charge of the files of skills and training in the blue economy, of blue investments under InvestEU, of Ocean Literacy and of ocean and decarbonisation in her Unit.
Vinzenz Batt – Secretary general of the Swiss Boatbuilders Association (SBA)
Vinzenz Batt is Secretary general of the SBA since 2019. In this role he leads the Association on an operational basis and is in charge of managing all the national and international stakeholders, supporting our members and ensuring optimal legal conditions. The shortage of skilled labour is one of the major challenges for the boating sector in Switzerland. Beforehand he was Head of Marketing and Education & Training of the SBA for five years.
From his previous engagements he has extensive knowledge in the areas of Employer Branding, Marketing, Event Management and Public Relations in large international corporations as well as in the public sector.
Vinzenz holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Management of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland and a Postgraduate Diploma of Advanced Studies as NPO-Manager of the University of Fribourg (CH).
Vinzenz was born on 6th August 1975. He is married, has two kids and lives in Berne, the capital of Switzerland.
About European Boating Industry (EBI)
European Boating Industry represents the recreational boating industry in Europe. It includes all related sectors, such as boat building, equipment manufacturers, marinas and service providers. The industry makes a significant contribution to the European economy and represents 32,000 companies directly employing over 280,000 people. The vast majority of the sector is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).