New PADI Regional Headquarters Delivers Expanded Benefits to Members

Launch of new office will increase product and customer support offerings for local members.


BRISTOL, GÖTEBORG, HETTLINGEN 01.01.2011 -- PADI Members in Europe, the Middle East and Africa will enjoy a higher level of customer service and support as PADI International Ltd., PADI Europe and PADI Nordic prepare to combine forces in 2011. The new regional headquarters, PADI EMEA (PADI Europe, Middle East and Africa), unites the talent and resources of the three offices to provide PADI Members with an unparalleled level of support, services and products.

“Trends in the dive market are changing, so the PADI Offices are responding to meet changing member’ needs,” says PADI Europe Executive Director, Jean-Claude Monachon. “The goal of the new regional headquarters is to move PADI Members ahead as market leaders through a broader range of products and services than currently available, and by leveraging resources to make it easier and more convenient to access products, services and support through PADI EMEA.”

PADI EMEA will be the largest PADI Regional Headquarters and serve more than 2,000 retail and resort members and 57,500 individual members, who in turn certify more than 380,000 divers annually. To meet the demands of this culturally diverse membership, PADI EMEA will extend its service hours, centralize its phone system, expand online services and provide customer support in more than twenty languages. The centralization of services will allow for faster member and diver certification processing, consistent marketing campaigns, enhanced PADI eLearning® support, simplified pricing, broader job search and placement options, easier instructor mobility and more. In addition, the regional headquarters size will significantly increase its ability to interact with and influence media, government and industry relations.

“The size and scope of PADI EMEA creates tremendous bargaining leverage on behalf of PADI Members and opens the door to new partnerships and exciting opportunities for attracting new divers,” says PADI President and Chief Operating Officer Drew Richardson. “PADI EMEA’s reach will help bring new people into diving -- potentially in unprecedented numbers.”

Mark Caney, VP, Training, Education and Memberships at PADI International Ltd, emphasized the value in pooling the talent of the three offices: “We are excited about the expansion of capabilities PADI EMEA represents for our members. Among the staff of the new office we will have an extraordinary range of talents, with specialists who have run thousands of Discover Scuba sessions in the Maldives or those who have conducted tec diving courses in the frozen Baltic Sea. The breadth of diving experience and language support now available to PADI Pros is unmatched in the industry”.

PADI EMEA will lead the regional dive industry in customer service, sales, business education, marketing and training consultancy. To ensure a smooth transition and uninterrupted member support and customer service, the three offices will integrate their services in stages throughout 2011, with full integration scheduled by 2012. For more information regarding PADI EMEA, please contact Jean-Claude Monachon, tel: +41 52 304 14 14, email: jcm@padi.com or Mark Caney, tel: +44 117 300 7309, email: mark.caney@padi.co.uk.

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