Jonathan Moneley has been elected chairman of the Irish Marine Federation (IMF), the trade body representing marine leisure and commercial maritime interests in Ireland.
Moneley was elected at the IMF’s AGM on Thursday 24 March and takes over from Paal Janson of Dun Laoghaire Marina, who held the position since January 2019.
Thirty-three-year-old Moneley is the general manager of Carlingford Marina in Co Louth and has worked as part of the family business for most of his life.
He has a BA in Public Relations and is one of fewer than 500 people accredited as a Certified Marina Manager by the Global Marina Institute.
In one of his first charges, Moneley hopes to encourage new membership applications to the IMF, and to broaden the scope of the businesses that are represented by the federation.
“The board of the IMF is made up by marina managers, chandlers and yacht brokers among others – and we would encourage any business with a vested interest in marine resources and recreational boating to get involved,” he says.
“The call goes out to more of the same kind of businesses to join up — but we would also like to see the likes of sail makers, pontoon fabricators, yacht insurance brokers or marine mechanics join the federation.
“On the commercial side, we would like to welcome the likes of marine surveyors, fishing boat builders, shipwrights and more. This gives us the best opportunity to represent the industry on the whole.”
Moneley suggests that the benefits of membership are far reaching, as the federation speaks in unison to promote the growth and development of the industry both home and abroad, and to influence public policy as one united voice.
“The greatest benefit for me has always been the networking aspect and industry specific discussions that happen at IMF meetings,” he says.
“At each meeting we do a round table ‘business barometer’ where members of the board are invited to speak about their business, talk about any challenges they are facing, or give an update on areas of their business in which they are excelling. We are then able to advise each other if it is requested, and we all leave with a very good knowledge of current industry trends.”
Membership applications are being accepted now for 2022. If you are interested in joining the IMF, you can contact Jonathan Moneley at [email protected] for further information.
