Martinho Fortunato is the CEO & President of the Board of Marlagos. Martinho is also the Vice President of APPR - Portuguese Marina Association and the Chairman of the Board of ICOMIA Marinas Group (International Council of Marine Industry Associations). 

 Martinho has been sailing a lot since he was a kid. He holds an MBA in tourism. 20 years ago, he started to manage the marina which today he’s the CEO of, without any background whatsoever. When he first started,  he went to study the ‘advanced marina management course’ in the UK and received a diploma of a ‘Marina Manager’. He started going to conferences and international events with other peers to learn from those with more experience.

COVID-19 affected business in Portugal. To help, they decided not to charge rent from the surrounding businesses for a few months. They are keeping operations inside the marina despite not having any visitors. However, they are adapting to working remotely in communication with the clients, informing them on the current situation. 

As for the industry as a whole, Martinho believes that this is the lesson for the entire world. The industry needs to be close together, more unified and solidary. This disease showed the maritime industry that there are no borders in the world. 

Join Shlomie to this “The Future of the Industry Series” episode to understand the current global situation inside the maritime industry better and to learn more about what will happen in marinas moving towards the future.