Yamaha Marine announces employee promotions, organizational changes

Yamaha Marine Group announced Wednesday several employee promotions and organizational changes within the Marine Marketing Division, including the promotion of Martin Peters to senior manager, Marine Communications and Government Relations.

“One of our top priorities at Yamaha is to continue to strengthen our brand, and I believe these structural changes will help us in that regard,” said Ben Speciale, president, Yamaha Marine Group. “I am confident each of these professionals will continue to enrich the Yamaha team in their new positions.”

Martin Peters joined Yamaha Marine Group in 2006 and leads teams that create communication, government relations, education and sponsorship strategies to support the Yamaha Marine Group brand, goals and objectives.

He currently serves on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Sanctuary Business Advisory Council, the Natural Resources Policy Committee for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the board of directors of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, the Government Relations Committee of the Center for Sportfishing Policy, and the Government Relations Committee of the American Sportfishing Association. He also presently serves as the chairman for Boat PAC at the National Marine Manufacturers Association. In his new role, Peters will report to Dale Barnes, division manager marketing, for communications and tournament and sponsorship initiatives, and Ben Speciale, Yamaha Marine Group president, for government relations efforts.

David Ittner, formerly marine tournament and sponsorship manager, has been promoted to Manager II, Tournaments and Sponsorships. A Yamaha employee since 2008, Ittner is a 20-plus year marine industry veteran and responsible for overseeing all tournament and Yamaha Pro Angler sponsorship initiatives. He reports directly to Peters.

Austin Roebuck, formerly government relations coordinator, has been promoted to Manager I, for communications and dealer education. Roebuck joined Yamaha in 2014 after working as political staff at both the federal and state levels, and is now responsible for communications and dealer education initiatives. Reporting to Peters, he will also continue to support government relations efforts.