Navico Strengthens Presence in the Professional Marine Market

EGERSUND, Norway - April 29, 2014 - PRLog -- Navico, manufacturers of Simrad branded marine electronics continues to strengthen its presence in the Professional market by establishing a new Professional Marine Division.

Over the past sixty years, Navico has developed Simrad branded marine electronics systems for the benefit of commercial vessels. Today it offers a range of sophisticated Simrad navigation products, including auto steering, radar, GPS, and safety for vessels of all sizes, from small vessels on inland waterways to larger coastal commercial and passenger craft.

The newly established Professional Marine Division is dedicated to serving that market with an experienced team of professionals recruited from within and outside the Navico organisation. This comes off the back of the recent acquisition of the SOLAS radar operations from Consilium.The company is currently executing its plans to integrate the business, which will deliver an improved range of professional radar products within the coming months.

Jose Herrero, who was previously Navico’s EVP for Business Development, has been appointed to lead the team as Managing Director. Jose has a wealth of experience in the technology sector and in commercial functions. Prior to joining Navico, Jose was a Principal in the TMT practice of the management consulting firm Bain & Company, where he completed several successful growth initiatives and commercial excellence programmes for leading multinationals in the technology and industrial sectors. Jose has worked also for Deloitte Consulting and Motorola in commercial and technology related assignments.

Shawna Santos joins the new division as Vice President of Professional Sales for the Americas region. She has been a key figure within the Navico Group for 7 years, working previously in several functions, Product Management, R&D and most recently Group Controller. Shawna has 17 years’ experience in the marine electronics industry, having worked for Navico, Raytheon and Raymarine.

Nicolas Queru, previously Director within the Navico Programme Management Office, joins the new division as Vice President of Professional Sales for the EMEA region. In his prior role, Nicolas was the project manager in charge of Navico’s World Class Sales program, which is delivering best practices in the Navico commercial model. Previously a Manager with Bain & Company, Nicolas led several assignments in customer loyalty and sales excellence for leading multi nationals.

Jose, Shawna, and Nicolas are part of a solid and growing global sales team, serving around 100 locations in Americas, Asia Pacific, Australasia, China, Europe, Middle East and Africa. In addition to the sales team, Navico is investing globally in the build up of other functions dedicated to the Professional market, specifically Service and Product Management. The teams will continue to work alongside the Navico subsidiaries and a loyal network of Independent Distribution channels.

Jose Herrero, Managing Director of Professional Marine Division, said of his new role: “Navico is committed to the Professional market. The establishment of a team to serve the specific needs of these customers and the acquisition of companies with technical competencies in this area is testament to this. I am extremely proud to be part of a team with such a strong passion for providing the best products, sales, and customer care in the marine electronics industry. We are all extremely motivated to continuously improve and bring increasing value to our network of partners and dealers.”

Leif Ottosson, CEO of Navico said: “We are proud to be leading the way in professional marine electronics via a strong portfolio of well-established and market-leading products. The professional market is a crucial growth area for Navico. We are extremely dedicated to offering the very best products and services to our customers.”

For more information on Navico and its brands visit www.navico.com or pro.simrad-yachting.com to find out more on the professional range of products and services.