Ione Astondoa Joins Astondoa Management Board

By Jenna Mehdi

Ione Astondoa is set to join Astondoa’s management board representing the fourth generation of the family-owned shipyard. Astondoa is the longest-running luxury yacht builder in Spain, with over 100 years of history and a popular range of models, such as the AS8 launched in October 2020.

In a statement announcing the move, the yard remarked on the relative lack of coverage Spanish shipbuilding receives on the global stage. Spain has a strong marine industry whose employment and income generated contributes greatly to the country’s overall economy. 

Astondoa also pointed out the generational change and social evolution preempting the move, as Ione Astondoa becomes the first ever female to sit on the board. Ione comments, ‘The profile of consumers is changing, younger and younger users are increasingly looking at recreational boating and to identify with their sensitivity, their values and their needs are necessary to be in the same vital plane and experience.’

Ione Astondoa will assume the management position after several years in marketing, cost management and HR for the yard. 

Ione is not the only female Astondoa who will be acknowledged for her great work. Though younger than Ione, Laura García Astondoa has also been involved in various projects and marketing for the shipyard. Laura is still in training, but is sure to increase her involvement once she has completed her studies. 

Pinpointing a ‘new chapter’ for Astondoa back in 2016, when the yard reached its centenary, the company’s crew has been modernising and opening up to new talent over the last few years. Ione particularly had to work hard for her respect on account of her youth and gender, making her appointment all the more notable. 

Today, Astondoa prides itself on a young, visionary and diverse workforce. There is no doubt this appointment is just the beginning for the yard.

"The profile of consumers is changing, younger and younger users are increasingly looking at recreational boating."

Ione Astondoa

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"The profile of consumers is changing, younger and younger users are increasingly looking at recreational boating."

Ione Astondoa
By Jenna Mehdi