Sylvie Ernoult - In the midst of the storm, she’s holding a steady course

This year, just in case she gets too complacent managing the usual balancing act between business, technology, logistics, security, management, economy and politics, there is now the uncertainty over the future which has been caused by the Coronavirus to take into account. This is of course not going to shake her unfailing dynamism. A trait of character that is equaled only by her optimistic style of communication. These are indeed two very precious qualities to possess in such troubled times.

You may have seen her on the quayside of the Old Port in Cannes. In her pastel trouser suit and with her blond hair swept back by the breeze created by her energetic walk, Sylvie carries her files under one arm with her mobile phone stuck to the opposite ear. There’s no doubt that she runs this company which fluctuates in size throughout the year with great skill. From eight permanent year-round employees - excluding the support services of Reed, the parent company - come September, there will be hundreds of people busy at work on the quaysides of the Côte d’Azur port after months of intense work. It’s no surprise then to learn that she takes her summer vacation a little later, in the fall. A short respite before (already) starting to prepare for the next edition. And for her vacation, she usually sails around the Caribbean on a chartered catamaran. Pure bliss with her family. There’s nothing better for recharging her batteries.

For if there is one constant in the «luxury and international» career path of this «all-rounder», as she defines herself, it is boats. From the smallest to the largest, Club Med’s sailing yachts to Stardust (a former major charter company bought by Sunsail in 2000) they are omnipresent in her cursus. She has been involved in the arrival of multihulls on the charter market. She remembers the importance to leisure cruising at the time of the arrival of the Marquesas 56, Lagoon 57 and the Privilège yachts. Sylvie considers the current offer to be a bit stereotypical: which is not surprising considering that we have just lived through such a prolific era! At the same time, after almost 30 years in and around the nautical world, she knows how it all works. She also knows all the major players. She’s been friends with some of them for a long time and has a very full address book. Something which helps her to keep the lid on her «organized chaos» as she cheerfully calls it. So, just a few weeks from the opening of the 2020 show, how does this hyperactive woman manage her job with the current climate of uncertainty ...