People on the Move this Week

Bryton Marine Group

Canadian aluminium boat builder Bryton Marine Group has made two executive appointments. Baxter Bolton has taken the role of president of the KingFisher Boats brand, while Brad Armstrong will serve as its CFO. Bolton previously served as KingFisher’s VP of sales and product and has previous marketing experience at Telwater Pty Ltd in Queensland, Australia. Armstrong brings more than 30 years of accounting experience to his role.

Mack Boring & Parts Co

Mack Boring & Parts Co has promoted Christopher Ponnwitz to chief commercial officer of Mack Sustainable Energy, a new division for the company. “I am very happy to announce that Chris has moved into this new role, where he will be leading our efforts to further expand and grow the electric marine market, particularly with the ePropulsion product line,” says Patrick McGovern, president and CEO.

Ponnwitz started with Mack Boring in 2015 as marketing manager. During his six years in the role, he led the department through the evolution to digital promotion while continuing to execute a full suite of events, sponsorships, press relations and print. In 2021, Ponnwitz accepted the role of group product manager, Electric Group.

Smartgyro

Carlo Galli Tognota has joined Italian stabilisation specialist Smartgyro as CEO. Tognota began his career at Cantieri di Baia, where he served as a mechanical engineer. He has also held sales roles at Sealine Italia and Cummins, and has spent the past 11 years at Twin Disc overseeing a wide range of marine products for power transmission, boat management and propulsion.

Vard Group

Vard Group AS, the Norwegian shipyard division of Italy’s Fincantieri and builder of several superyachts, has named Cathrine Kristiseter Marti as its new CEO. Marti was previously CEO of Ulstein, another Norwegian shipbuilder that has constructed superyachts. She takes up her position on 1 June 2024.