Norfolk, Va. – (August 28, 2014) — Dominion Enterprises today announced the appointment of Ian Atkins as president of Boats Group (Boats Group). Boats Group, a division of Dominion Enterprises, owns and operates the three largest and most popular marine industry web portals.
The company also announced the promotion of three senior personnel to newly created vice president positions. The appointments come at a time of significant growth for Boats Group as the global marine market begins to show clear signs of recovery.
Atkins is a marine industry veteran, having spent more than 30 years in the recreational marine sector, including more than ten years at the helm of Boats Group’s YachtWorld, boats.com and Boat Trader. Under Atkins’ leadership, Boats Group’s portfolio of brands has increased its revenues by greater than 35% during the past four years. Boats Group now employs 180 people, with customers in 106 countries and an annual total of more than 52 million unique visitors. Its acquisition of the European Cosas de Barcos and iNautia brands earlier this year extended the group’s reach even further and demonstrated Atkins’ commitment to continually enhancing Boats Group’s market position.
Along with Atkins’ appointment, Boats Group announced the promotions of Kristeen Lankford to vice president, sales; Marius DeBeer to vice president, technology; and Courtney Chalmers to vice president, marketing. All are longstanding members of the Boats Group team, with a combined total of more than 20 years of experience within the organization. The newly formed team will focus on developing Boats Group as an independent entity within the Dominion Enterprises group.
Jack Ross, president and chief operating officer of Dominion Enterprises, said: “As the international marine market begins to show signs of recovery, building on Boats Group’s range of online boat sales solutions and marketing and software products has never been more important. Ian’s promotion and the other senior management appointments mark a significant shift for Boats Group. Our new team will dedicate its resources to maintaining a clear strategic focus and underscoring Dominion Enterprises’ commitment to growing its marine sector.”
About Boats Group
Boats Group (Boats Group) is the Internet partner of choice for the recreational marine industry and operates the three market leading web portals – boats.com, yachtworld.com and boattrader.com. Boats Group is a division of Dominion Enterprises, a leading marketing services and publishing company that provides businesses with a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, CRM, website design and hosting and data management services. Boats Group has offices in North America (Norfolk, Virginia; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia) as well as in Europe (United Kingdom, Germany and Italy) and Australia. The company employs 180 people, has customers in 106 countries and advertises boats for sale in 166 countries. In 2013, over 52 million unique visitors spent time researching products on Boats Group web and mobile sites, apps and social media outlets. Boats Group’s global reach includes 23 localized web portals which are translated into 13 languages.
About Dominion Enterprises
Dominion Enterprises is a leading marketing services and publishing company serving the automotive, recreational and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, parenting, and travel industries. The company’s businesses provide a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, customer relationship management, website design and hosting, and data management services. The company has more than 45 market-leading websites reaching more than 20 million unique visitors monthly. Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the company has 3,300 employees in more than 105 offices in the United States, Canada, England, Spain and Italy. For more information, visit www.DominionEnterprises.com
CONTACT:
Ian Payne, McKenna Townsend
+44 (0)1425 472 330 / ian@mckennatownsend.com