Raised with the sea as his nearest neighbor, fluent in four languages, and bearing a name that means ‘rightly guided’, it can seem like Mehdi Bounoua was destined to explore new frontiers. We caught up with the experienced sales director at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023.
[Monaco, October 2023]
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Q: Hi, Mehdi. Good to see you here in Monaco! How are things?
A: Great, thanks. Lovely time here in Monaco, as always. Fantastic collection of yachts, and familiar faces everywhere. There’s really no better place to catch up with friends and partners in the industry.
Q: I guess you should know, having experienced your share of shows and conferences. How long have you been in the maritime industry?
A: I’ve been working for Hatteland Technology for 15 years now, and I was supplier to them for a good 10 years before that. So, I’ve been in the electronics industry, more specifically the flat-panel LCD display and monitor industry, for quite some time.
Q: You grew up in Algeria, mixed parents, English mother and Algerian father, then at 14 moved to the UK. As an adult you lived several years in France, and now seem to have settled in Italy with your family.
Can you say a little bit about how the different environments and cultures have influenced you?
A: Algeria was all about, well it's probably still all about Algeria somewhere. I guess I’ve gone full circle and concluded that you best not forget where you came from because somewhere that’s also who you are! Algeria represents to me warmth, culture and opportunity, a conundrum yet to be figured out and harnessed fully for that country to come out of its shell and show what it can offer the world!
The UK taught me a thing or two about overcoming adversity, determination to succeed and believing in yourself. I cut my teeth in sales as a means to a living initially, but it’s made a good career for me in the end. Let you into a secret however, I would have loved becoming a lawyer!
– The UK taught me a thing or two about overcoming adversity, determination to succeed and believing in yourself.
Italy is now my home, enjoying the good food, raising a family with my Italian wife, and hoping our kids do well and that they be good people with the right values and enough courage to make a positive difference in the world; a world that is going to need good, courageous people quite clearly.
France was my home for a short three-year period, living in the Marseille region when I was first hired by Hatteland and asked to relocate there from the UK. My task was to develop the Hatteland business and brand in southern Europe.
I have to say that I think we pretty much did that, we now have a great portfolio of customers in all three maritime segments – commercial, military, and leisure – from Spain in the west all the way through to Turkey in the east. Our customer base is diverse and now generates significant volumes and revenue for Hatteland Technology. I’m proud of that.
Q: Something you’ve clearly brought with you is the languages. During your visit to the show this year, you’ve been interacting with people in French, Italian, English, and Arabic.
When are you going to learn Norwegian?
A: Haha, actually, I should have learned Norwegian, I realise that. It would have been to my benefit. I just had quite a lot to do especially in the early years building up our business, I never got around to it! Luckily the company was already very Anglocentric from the start and there were no issues there.
– I do enjoy speaking different languages, and it is nice to interact with partners and customers in their mother tongue,
it makes a difference.
Q: Joking aside, it’s quite fascinating to hear you go from one language to another in a heartbeat. Must come in handy in a place like this?
A: Thank you. I do enjoy speaking different languages, and it is nice to interact with partners and customers in their mother tongue, it makes a difference. Certainly, here in Monaco I bump into people from all around, so I get to revive my vocabulary too.
Q: You are Hatteland Technology’s Sales Director EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa). What does that role entail?
A: I take care of quite a big region, southern Europe mainly plus MEA, in several maritime segments, not just yachts. Our core markets are commercial marine and military naval which is very big for us now, and of course the leisure boat market, and that’s why we’re here at the flagship event Monaco Yacht Show.
We typically work with system integrators who need type-approved IT hardware for their maritime systems, be that navigation, automation and even combat systems for the navies.
– We typically work with system integrators who need type-approved IT hardware for their maritime systems.
I’m responsible for our customer relationships and developing our business in the region, supporting customers in selecting the right solutions for their projects. With colleagues in Norway, we oversee the progress of orders through to deliveries, making sure they get everything they need, and of course that they pay their bills in the end! :)
Sometimes the product needed doesn’t exist yet, so there’s a fair bit of interaction with our product- and R&D teams to design new solutions into projects.
Above: Massimo Bugli (left), General Manager of FURUNO Italia, gives Mehdi Bounoua
a tour of a yacht's bridge at the Monaco Yacht Show 2023.
Below: Three floor-mounted 55-inch monitors from Hatteland Technology.
Q: What has been your personal highlight of the show so far?
A: Oh, there’s lots to choose from! But I have to say being on board some of the yachts here and seeing the new technologies we’re bringing out actually installed on vessels. It’s been a real pleasure seeing those innovations we’ve been first to show the market several years ago, and that are now coming to fruition, in real applications on board vessels.
I’d like to give credit to our partner customers who are doing that work, leading the way, reimagining the bridge, and trusting Hatteland Technology’s innovations year after year.
Q: Reimagining the bridge, you say. In what way?
A: What we’re seeing is fewer display units and more single, big display units. That not only goes for this industry, where prestige and looks is very important, but also across other markets as well, the commercial, and the military of course.
– What we’re seeing is fewer display units
and more single, big display units.
It’s a development that is largely driven by advances in monitor technology. It’s not that long ago we first introduced the 55-inch floor mounted monitor system, and now one of the yachts we visited had three of them in the wheelhouse — and no traditional console. That’s significant.
By integrating these large screens with high resolution, you can get a lot of data on one screen, instead of having multiple displays, and there are numerous other functional benefits, too. And importantly, for this market at least, it makes the bridge look amazing!
Q: Always a pleasure talking with you, Mehdi. Do you mind a couple of quick-fire questions before we go?
A: Not at all, go ahead.
Q: What song or band last played on your car stereo?
A: My 12-year-old son has taken control of my car’s Spotify list and it’s all him! A bunch of rap tracks which I don’t mind because he quite likes my era stuff as well... "Today was a good day"! Know that one? :)
Q: A food item always available in your fridge?
A: Pomodori, I love tomatoes.
Q: Passenger or driver?
A: Driver.
Q: San Siro or Teatro alla Scala?
A: Mmm done both, I like both.
Q: Books or movies?
A: Books.
Q: Excellent! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.
A: My pleasure!
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To learn more about Hatteland Technology and how we can assist your project, please visit our
Marine & Offshore page. You are also welcome to browse our portfolio of marine products,
or contact Mr. Mehdi Bounoua directly.
Related material:
Explore the innovative bridge of superyacht Baglietto T52 — with Furuno Italia
An introduction to computer networks on board ships
Common cyber-security vulnerabilities in ships
Your solution partner: How Hatteland Technology can help you