By
Alex Smith |
MedCruise elected Figen Ayan, chief port officer of Galataport Istanbul, as its new president at its 59th General Assembly in Barcelona, Spain.
Born in Paris, Ayan is a French and Turkish citizen. She has been a Ministry of Culture and Tourism professional tourist guide since 1997 and has served in her role at Galataport Istanbul since February 2014, following positions at Global Ports Holding and Arkas-MSC. She has also been a board member of MedCruise since 2011.
She succeeds Aris Batsoulis, head of technical services and development director at Corfu Port Authority, who will continue serving MedCruise as honorary president.
"I love the cruise industry, for its resilience, its creativity, its openness and many more reasons I have seen in my 27-year career,” said Ayan. “Hence it is a true honour and privilege to represent 140 boutique and marquee cruise ports from 21 countries in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas as the president of MedCruise Association for the 2021-2024 mandate. As the new president of MedCruise Association, I am thrilled and cannot wait to work hand in hand, heart by heart with the board of directors, the port and associate members."
MedCruise also elected a new board of directors to serve for the 2021-2024 period. The members of the board include new senior vice president Francesca Antonelli, who is also the head of cruises for the Port Authority of Valencia, Spain, and new vice president Lorenzo Vera, representing the port of Motril, Spain.
"We are going to continue working with all the agents involved to adapt to the new times and needs of both the sector and the cities that welcome cruise passengers, offering new experiences in the destinations and with all the guarantees of safety,” said Antonelli.
MedCruise was created in 1996, through a partnership agreement between 16 ports from seven different countries. The association now covers 21 countries, represents 140 ports and has 34 associate members.