The latest Digital Dialogue is with Ward’s Marine Electric COO, Kristina Hebert. Both Hebert and the company she represents, are cornerstones of South Florida’s yachting scene; this year, Ward’s celebrates its 70th anniversary, while Hebert is a recognised industry lobbyist and champion.

With this in mind, talk quickly turned to the possible impact of a Presidential transition, following the recent US election.

“It is finally time to move on, and there is now certainty, and when we get through the tallies and how they will play out, we can start getting on with the next four years”, Hebert explained.

“Our company is celebrating its 70th anniversary, and if you look back at history, we have gone through many presidential administrations. I noticed that, going back to Truman, and through to 2021, it will be equal – seven Republicans, seven Democrats. What I have to say is that we’ve survived and the industry is wonderfully flexible.”

Hebert feels that, regardless of political affiliation, what an election result does ensure is stability and certainty, with which businesses can better plan their own strategic roadmaps. She is also optimistic that there will be no retrenchment of client spending from what is the industry’s largest ownership pool.

Politics aside, Hebert feels the superyacht market has proved itself robust under the unprecedented challenges created by the global pandemic this year. However, as someone who has played a longstanding and active role at a representative level, she feels engagement remains paramount.  

“One thing that was proved by being a business that remained open throughout the entirety of the pandemic is that communication is key… Businesses need to work together, and we have to do it in times of a pandemic and we have to do it when we are trying to generate business. But when times are going well, we tend to stop that. So I think we need to learn from what 2020 brought us because we can still run businesses…but we can still collaborate and communicate.”

The One to One series is a collective campaign for change and industry improvement, and we welcome participants from all sectors. If you would like to take part or contribute your thoughts, please contact Eleanor Shepherd.

You can view the ever-growing archive of Digital Dialogues here.

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Ward's Marine Electric

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