New man at the marketing helm of Gulf Craft Inc.

An industry veteran, Schlegel was previously a director of the company's New Zealand dealership and will now be responsible for global sales and marketing activities at Gulf Craft.

Implementing new solutions for the challenges of the global market place is one of his goals.

"With a line-up of world class yachts and leisure craft, Gulf Craft is well prepared to conquer a market that has enormous growth potential," he said.

"I was particularly impressed by the worldwide interest and success of our products. The opportunity to play a part in the future development of Gulf Craft is very rewarding both personally and professionally."

During an extensive career in the luxury car, air plane and boat industry, Schlegel has held senior management positions in both early stage companies and large corporations.

Gulf Craft executive manager Erwin Bamps described his appointment as "particularly timely and strategic - his successful track record and extensive worldwide experience will help drive our growing market presence and global customer base."

Gulf Craft is already working at maximum capacity to supply regional and international customers, producing about 600 vessels a year, from small fishing boats to sport cruisers and super-luxury yachts, 70 percent of which are exported.

It is about to deliver the first Majesty 130 - the biggest yacht every built in the Middle East, and the even bigger 145-foot Majesty 145 is on the drawing boards. Major expansion is under way at its Umm Al-Qaiwain yard, and staff numbers have grown to more than 850, up by a third in the past 12 months.