PONANT has appointed businessman and yachtsman Hervé Gastinel as CEO, effective 29MAR, 2021. He will replace outgoing CEO, Jean Emmanuel Sauvée.
“I am delighted with the arrival of Hervé Gastinel. He is a true sailing enthusiast, who has all the skills to transform this wonderful company and facilitate the resumption of operations,” says François Pinault, founder and manager of PONANT’s parent company, Artemis.
“After a difficult year, the next months will be decisive in accelerating PONANT’s development for the coming financial years.”
Pinault also thanked Sauvée, who he called Ponant's “visionary creator.”
Prior to joining PONANT, Gastinel served as CEO at Beneteau group, a leading sailboat and powerboat builder, between 2015 and 2019. A former officer-cadet and watch captain, Gastinel currently owns a yacht on the regatta circuit and is an experienced deep-sea sailor.
"Contributing to the restart and international development of PONANT in a sector undergoing rapid transformation is a great perspective. I look forward to joining the PONANT team, the employees on board as well as ashore, in France and abroad, and to continuing the great entrepreneurial adventure led by Jean Emmanuel Sauvée,” Gastinel says.
Over the past five years, PONANT has doubled the size of its fleet, and will launch its 13th vessel, Le Commandant-Charcot, this summer. The ship is a hybrid electric polar exploration vessel which will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
