Andrea Frabetti (currently Chief Technical Officer) will take over as the new Sunseeker International CEO with immediate effect following the resignation of Christian Marti. 

Andrea will work closely with Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mike McMillan and Chief Operations Officer (COO), Michael Straughan to form a new Strategic Committee that will focus on further developing the strategic framework for the business and driving the Sunseeker brand forward to even greater success. The Strategic Committee will continue to work closely with the current Executive Management team Adrian Powell, Sean Robertson, Barbara Baker (as interim HR Director) and Sian Dodds on return from maternity leave, building on the trading success of 2018 and formalising a more product-facing organisation structure and a robust global distribution network.

John Zeng, the board representative for Sunseeker’s majority shareholder, Dalian Wanda, commented: “On behalf of Dalian Wanda, we would like to thank Christian for his input, professionalism and leadership. Christian leaves Sunseeker in a very healthy position focussed on its future growth. We have worked with the Sunseeker Executive Management Team to create the Strategic Committee and we are confident that Sunseeker, with the continued support of Dalian Wanda, will be in an even stronger position to grow on its success.”

Since his arrival at Sunseeker at the beginning of the year, Andrea has been devising an exciting new product plan that has been developed in conjunction with the Sunseeker management team.  The focus for the company moving ahead will be on the new product development plan supported by excellence in operations, an engaged workforce and a strong commercial focus to drive profitable growth. A new manufacturing programme has also been developed that will ensure the production of Sunseeker’s world-class luxury yachts is even more efficient and effective. As part of this process, the company will be looking at all aspects of the business to enable it to be as streamlined as possible, ensuring continued profitable business into the future.

For and on behalf of Sunseeker International

Background

Andrea Frabetti

Has a wealth of industry experience, having worked at Italian shipbuilder Ferretti Group for over 25 years across all of the company’s key brands, overseeing the development of motor yachts from concept to production-ready. As VP of Product Development, he led a team of 200 people across the design, engineering and research & development functionsfor the numerous model lines. His most recent role was CEO for Diesel Center SPA, a supplier of propulsion engines and technological systems in the marine sector. Prior to Sunseeker International, Andrea served as Board member in a number of companies within the Marine Industry including Riva SPA, Diesel Centre SPA and Bavaria YachtBau GmbH

Mike McMillan

Is an experienced international CFO, who joined Sunseeker in September 2017 from JCB UK Ltd, where he was Group CFO. Mike brought with him a wealth of experience of group-wide financial management gained with multinational, joint venture and large, privately owned organisations across the UK, Europe and US. As well as JCB, Mike has worked for GETRAG GmbH, Ford Motor Company and Proctor & Gamble. Mike has a passion for continuous improvement, collaboration and change management.

Michael Straughan

Joined Sunseeker in September 2017 as COO from Bentley Motors Ltd, where he was Member of the Board for Manufacturing. He brought with him a wealth of experience in luxury manufacturing.  Having led the operations of some major production facilities both in the UK and abroad, Michael has provided key direction and substantial improvements for several major brands across multiple and complex product offerings.  He provides Sunseeker with a high level of operational expertise and an uncompromising focus on quality.