Airmar names new international sales manager
MILFORD, N. H. – Airmar Technology Corp. has hired Bertrand Picarda as sales manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the company said in a statement yesterday.
As sales manager, Picarda will oversee all sales and marketing activities for Airmar across what is known as the EMEA Region, an area of the world Airmar is working to expand its presence and maximize sales potential in.
“Bertrand’s industry knowledge and experience in penetrating both OEM and consumer marine electronics markets across the region make him the ideal candidate for this important position,” said Stephen Boucher, Airmar CEO and chairman. “Bertrand understands the unique needs of each of these territories. He has helped some of the biggest names in the business develop distribution channels and achieve strong sales growth across these regions.”
Picarda will focus on expanding Airmar product awareness through conducting training seminars on all aspects of transducers including sales, installation, and troubleshooting.
Picarda will base his sales and marketing operations out of Airmar’s new state-of-the-art facility in Saint-Malo, France. This is where all Airmar Europe sales and distribution will be moving to by February 2008. This area in the Northwest region of France has a rich maritime history and is situated along the Channel Sea. It is between England’s Solent area, home to many British boatbuilders and marine electronics manufacturers and distributors, and France’s Vendée region, the base of many of Europe’s largest boat builders.
Picarda helped Lowrance break into the GPS market in 1993 and assisted in developing that manufacturer’s distribution network in Europe. Picarda was promoted to Lowrance’s sales and marketing manager for Southern Europe and Africa in 1998, helping the company achieve strong sales growth in these regions. Most recently, when Lowrance was integrated into the Navico group, Picarda was put in charge of independent distributor sales for all Navico brands across the EMEA Region.
A French citizen, Picarda was born in Africa and raised in the South Pacific before settling for good in his parent’s homeland of France in 1981. Picarda earned a four-year degree in geography with a one-year specialization in satellite picture analysis. He served two years in the French army, including service in the first Gulf War, before launching his career with a sales job with Shimano fishing tackle.
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