MARSEILLE — PONANT has a new CEO in charge as it continues its pursuit to become the market leader in luxury cruises.
Hervé Gastinel, a former officer-cadet and watch captain, will take over the reins from outgoing CEO Jean Emmanuel Sauvée on March 29, 2021. A true enthusiast of the sea and ships, Gastinel most recently served as CEO at Beneteau group, a world leader in pleasure craft, between 2015 and 2019, during which he helped increase its turnover from €970 million to more than €1.3 billion. Prior to that, he worked on various projects at the General Inspectorate of Finance before becoming technical advisor to the President of the French Senate, where he was responsible for the economy, finance and new technologies. He also remains Senior Advisor for the consulting firm EIM.
On his new role, Gastinel said: “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 onboard as well as ashore, in France and abroad, and to continuing the great entrepreneurial adventure led by Jean Emmanuel Sauvée.”
François Pinault, Artemis’ founder and manager, added: “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. After a difficult year, the next months will be decisive in accelerating PONANT’s development for the coming financial years.”
Gastinel comes to PONANT during a time of growth for the company. Over the past five years, PONANT has doubled the size of its fleet and will launch its 13th vessel this summer, Le Commandant-Charcot, the world’s first hybrid electric polar exploration vessel, which will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
