Founded in 1989 in the United States, Garmin is dedicated to the design of geolocation and communication technology products and services
Among their many automotive and outdoor products well known to the general public, a range dedicated to Marine activities: GPS, plotters, depth sounders, marine cartography, sonar, satellite weather, radar... integrate specific features developed for fishing enthusiasts. Frédéric Lavion's role is to help Garmin France to steer its strategic choices in all aspects of fishing due to the specific nature of the market.
What training, what diploma, what skills to hold the position of Operations Manager?
A family hobby that becomes a passion and then a profession
" I am a biologist by training since I have a master's degree, and I am the perfect example of a totally atypical career path ", Fred begins, " There are training schools that are very good, but it is not the only way to get into a career in boating. I realize this particularly in the area of sport or recreational fishing. Passion plays a big role there, because there is no specific training. Above all, you have to know fishing and be passionate about it in order to take on responsibilities. "
" I started fishing with my grandfather when I was 5 or 6 years old and soon became self-sufficient and then went scuba hunting while continuing to fish with a rod. Quickly brands sponsored me. "
Passionate about the sea, Fred has always walked the aisles of his salons, whether they are nautical generalist or dedicated to fishing.
" One day, I had the opportunity to meet Bertrand Picarda, the boss of Airmar (Acoustic Detection Technology) who at the time was working at Lowrance for the European zone. "
Fred learned that the Navico group had just bought Lowrance, and was looking for someone to develop the fishing activity in France. Bertrand made him understand that he had the skills required to succeed in this position.
And after 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a medical delegate and then regional manager, Fred accepts the offer without regret and combines 2 passions: fishing and trade. The desire to change was too strong.
For 2 years, Fred was commercial director at Navico France and in 2010 he learnt that the distribution was changing hands for an independent and therefore followed the brand to the new distributor.
In 2018, Garmin proposes to Fred the project to develop the fishing activity. He agreed: " This time I'm not doing business anymore since there's a team in place, I'm acting as a support person. "
What daily life, what are the responsibilities of this profession?
Energize and train to develop
" My daily routine: Managing social networks and key accounts, meeting opinion leaders in the fishing world, maintaining relations with specialised journalists, managing partners and pro staff.
But also, avoid mistakes, energize and train the distribution network so that Garmin becomes a leader in the fishing market.
My responsibility is to ensure a significant increase in the sales turnover of fishery products and to evaluate the evolution of the demand for the products with the objective of increasing the market share "says Fred
What are the possible evolutions of this profession?
Go back to business or go to marketing
" As I manage part of the sales and marketing team, I could evolve to a sales or marketing function "Fred's main goal is to succeed in his mission.
