French association FIN appoints new president

The Fédération des Industries Nautiques (FIN) has elected its new president, Jean-Paul Chapeleau. The Fédération des Industries Nautiques aims to ‘represent, defend and promote’ the professions of the French nautical sector, in France and internationally.

Chapeleau succeeds Yves Lyon-Caen, who served as president since 2014 and chose not to stand again.

Deputy managing director of Groupe Bénéteau, in charge of industrial operations and development, and chairman of SPBI, Chapeleau has spent his entire career at Jeanneau and then within Groupe Bénéteau. Vice president of FIN, he has also been president of Association pour la Plaisance Eco-Responsable (APER) since 2018, the eco-organisation in charge of the dismantling of pleasure boats.

Lyon-Caen says: “Jean-Paul Chapeleau is a professional, an experienced man who knows the sector very well. As he has already done as vice-president of FIN and at the head of APER, I know that he will be able to place his know-how at the service of the nautical sector and its professionals, of whom he has heart to defend the interests.”

Chapeleau says: “While the nautical industry is facing major transition challenges, particularly environmental ones, I am approaching this new responsibility, surrounded by a solid and experienced team, with the desire to collectively continue the actions undertaken in recent years under the leadership of Yves Lyon-Caen.

“The nautical sector shares a true spirit of solidarity which must be embodied within the federation. This was the case recently during the health crisis. The international context opens a new period of uncertainty, in which this spirit of unity will probably still be essential.”