PORT ST. MAARTEN – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo is now a graduate of University of Pennsylvania Wharton School Executive Development Program in the area of Leadership and Integrity and Risk Management.
Mingo joined Port St. Maarten 13-years ago. Prior to this, he worked in a Blue Chip Tech Company Hewlett Packard (HP).
Since then he has transformed the group from a traditional operations company to an innovative commercial entity representing a third of the country’s annual Gross Domestic Product.
Just out of Seatrade Europe in Hamburg, Germany, Port St. Maarten was designated 5th in the World as a Cruise Transit Port.
Port St. Maarten came in second in a 2012 Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) study carried out by the Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) about the Economic Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Destination Economies.
The average expenditure per passenger in St. Maarten was $185.40, which benefitted numerous industries through purchases of goods that included food and beverage at restaurants and bars, clothing, shore excursions, ground transportation, local crafts and souvenirs, watches and jewelry, perfumes and cosmetics, electronics, entertainment/night clubs/casinos, retail purchases of liquor, and telephone and internet. Total cruise tourism expenditures amounted to over US$356 million for 2011/2012 cruise year.
The same study showed that the average expenditure per crew in St. Maarten was $135.50 on similar products and services. Plus it revealed the direct and indirect employment generated by the cruise industry on the island, totaled 8,123 jobs and US$159.8 million in employee wages.
“The achievements at Port St. Maarten are the result of the hard work of the Supervisory Board, Management and Staff and the support of the shareholder. The cruise partners and business stakeholders also play a very important role in our success over the years. We all work as a team in order to execute the things that need to be put in place to keep us in the lead,” CEO Mingo said on Thursday.
2014 also marked 50 years St. Maarten as a cruise destination under the theme “Reinventing Cruise St. Maarten and also for the first time the country received over two million cruise passengers.
Mingo took part in the two week program back in March which has further strengthen and enhanced his knowledge and executive business skills. The program included in module one Community Building, Finance Accounting Essentials, Creating & Sustaining a Competitive Advantage.
Module two dealt with Marketing Strategy and Simulation & Planning; module three, Leadership and Integrity, Operation Management & Link to Financial Performance, Setting Strategic Direction, The Power of Corporate Culture and how to Harness It; module four, Valuing Strategic Decisions.
Module five, Merger and Acquisitions; Participating in the Ecosystem; Managing Global and Policy Risks; Industry Consolidation; and module six, Influence & Persuasion; and High Performing Teams Wrap-up.
PHOTO CUTLINE: CEO Mark Mingo (middle) being presented with his degree from a Professor at the university.
