Catana Group CEO Olivier Poncin is looking to shake things up in the yachting industry.
Since launching Bali Catamarans in 2014, Catana Group CEO Olivier Poncin has shaken up the world of cruising catamarans, building a brand that’s challenging the long-established leaders.What was your background in the industry before you created Bali Catamarans?
Considering the cruising sailing catamaran market was well served by established builders like Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot, Leopard and Sunreef, why did you think there was ‘space’ in the market when you set up Bali? We set ourselves the objective of conquering a 10 per cent market share and we achieved that in five years. Today, our ambition for the next three years is to reach the 20 per cent threshold, so selling at least 300 units per year.To build an international sales network, you need to create a range, hence the fact that today there are seven Bali sailing models and soon there will be three motor yacht models.
Can you talk about why you decided to move into powercats with the 4.3 MY and now the Bali Catspace MY?. On acatamaran, you aren’t crowded together. On the contrary, their widerectangular platforms provide incredible space. This is why manyyachtsmen are giving up on sailing monohulls and traditional motor boats.However, a good number of sailing catamaran owners use their sails infrequently.
Over the last 10 years or so, the Asian yachting market has begun to catch up. Bali is contributing to this with several agents based in Japan, Thailand,