Appointment: George Armendariz, Group CEO for Americas
Groupe Beneteau appoints its CEO for Americas
Groupe Beneteau has appointed George Armendariz as the new Group CEO for the Americas, effective on 22 August 2016. A newly created position in the organization of the Groupe Beneteau, the Group CEO for Americas will coordinate at the regional activities of all the brands currently present in North, Central and South America, namely Beneteau, Jeanneau, Prestige, Four Winns, Scarab, Glastron and Wellcraft.
George Armendariz joins the Groupe Beneteau from Nordic Tugs Inc., a manufacturer of recreational trawlers based in Burlington, Washington (USA) where he served as President.
Prior to that he spent 21 years holding a number of positions at Brunswick Corporation, the most recent of which was as Vice President and General Manager of Brunswick Marine Europe based in Belgium. In that capacity, George was responsible for the management of Brunswick’s boat brands in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Before joining Brunswick Corporation, George spent 12 years with First Interstate Bank where he was Vice President, International, in Seattle, after having run the bank’s operations in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.
George has extensive experience with both European and Latin American cultures, having worked and resided in Europe, South America, and the USA. He is a founder and former director of Plaza Bank, Seattle, Washington and Board member of Heritage University in Washington State. George holds a BA degree in Business Administration from Texas Christian University and speaks English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
About Groupe Beneteau
Founded in Vendée 139 years ago by Benjamin Bénéteau, Groupe Beneteau today has international industrial capabilities, with 22 production sites, and a global sales network. In 2022, Groupe Beneteau recorded €1.5bn of revenues, employing around 8,000 people, primarily in France, the United States, Poland, Italy and Portugal.
A global market leader, Groupe Beneteau, thanks to its Boat division’s nine brands, offers more than 150 recreational boat models serving its customers’ diverse navigational needs and uses, from sailing to motorboating, monohulls and catamarans.
Through its Boating Solutions division, the Group is also present in the daily or weekly rental services, marina, digital and financing sectors.
Its Housing division is a major European player for leisure homes, lodges and pods, with its 3 brands (IRM, O'HARA, COCO SWEET) offering a wide range of products. It has 900 employees across six production sites in France and one in Italy, and generated €257.2m of revenues in 2022.
Boat brands: BENETEAU, JEANNEAU, LAGOON, PRESTIGE, DELPHIA, EXCESS, FOUR WINNS, WELLCRAFT, SCARAB and GLASTRON.
