Normand named Ski-Doo marketing director
BRP has appointed Philippe Normand as Ski-Doo snowmobiles marketing director. He is responsible for all marketing activities for the Ski-Doo snowmobile product line, including advertising, retail programs, marketing material, public relations, product development and strategic planning.
In his 10 years at BRP, Philippe held several positions, most recently as marketing manager for Can-Am off-road. Normand’s prior positions include marketing manager for the Can-Am roadster, product manager for BRP’s International Division and business analyst for the launch of the Can-Am roadster.
Before joining BRP, Normand worked as a mechanical engineer with the Canadian Air Force, Pratt & Whitney and Bombardier Aerospace. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada with a degree in aerospace engineering and has an MBA from McGill University.
In other BRP news, the Valcourt, Québec OEM announced in September that it will exit the sport boat business over the coming months, citing the continued global sales decline in the marine industry, particularly the drop in sales of sport boats since the financial crisis.
“This is a difficult but necessary decision for BRP,” said José Boisjoli, president and CEO. “We worked hard to grow our sport boat business through a serious sales decline that began in 2007. But now, we must focus our research and development resources and capital investments in areas of our business that offer greater growth potential.”
BRP entered the boat manufacturing business in 1994 and purchased the assets of Celebrity Boats in 1995, at which time it moved its facility to Benton, Ill.
“We looked for a buyer for our sport boat business, but that effort proved unsuccessful,” Boisjoli added. “Consequently, we decided not to resume production of the upcoming model year due to seasonal production planning requirements.”
