Experience grows with passion

Panos Dragounis was born in Athens in 1979. It didn't take long for him to realize that his life would revolve around the sea and especially around boats. At the age of 6, he would spend hours rowing around even the smallest of coves in a 3-meter inflatable dinghy. Soon after, reading charts, plotting courses, learning the nautical alphabet and assisting with yacht maintenance and repairs, became some of his favorite past-time activities!

As he grew older, he gradually expanded his involvement in a wide range of water-related activities, beginning with wakeboarding and windsurfing, moving on to scuba-diving and deep-water fishing and then on to offshore racing and long-distance sailing. In parallel, he steadily expanded his knowledge of motor and sailing yachts, and he began to appreciate and distinguish yachts according to the efficiency of their design and the quality of their construction.

After graduating with an "Award for Excellence"from high school, Panos received his Powerboat License and moved to the United States in order to pursue his undergraduate studies. In 2002, he graduated "Summa Cum Laude" from Brown University and received his degrees in Economics, International Relations and Computer Science.

Upon his return to Greece, Panos pursued his mandatory military service in the Hellenic Navy. During the same period, he received three separate sailing certificates from the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC), including the Advanced and Racing certificates. He also participated in several offshore sailing regattas in Greece. His greatest victory so far has been achieving first overall position in the ORC category in the Aegean International Rally in 2004 on board Pyx-Lax II, where he doubled as a deck crew and helmsman.

By that time, Panos had realized that his future career should be based upon his deep passion for the sea and the yachting industry. Therefore, he moved to the Isle of Wight in the UK in order to pursue the Marine Business Management Graduate Program at the United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA). He was educated in the business, financial and practical aspects of a variety of fields including yacht sales, charter, management, building, service and repair. Upon completion of the program, he received the “Student of the Year” award and decided to pursue an additional range of courses including first aid, fire fighting, ships’ security, naval communications, celestial navigation, electronics and diesel engine maintenance, which enabled him to receive the RYA/MCA Commercially Endorsed Ocean Yachtmaster Certificate for Sailing and Motor Vessels up to 25 meters in length.

Panos is also a RYA certified Dinghy Sailing instructor and a Windsurfing instructor. His practical experience also includes an English Channel crossing, a yacht delivery from Rome to Athens. as well as a Transatlantic crossing.

Upon his permanent return to Greece, Panos was offered a position as a Business Analyst at the Corporate Finance Division of Alpha Bank. He accepted the offer because it provided him with a rare opportunity to be involved in the most significant projects in the yachting industry in Greece. In particular, he worked in a team that advised the government and some interested private investors on the viability, organization and operation of two large marinas under privatization.

As soon as these yachting projects were completed, Panos decided to launch a monthly magazine publication with this brother. Along with directing all aspects of the publication, he also independently advised an investing group, which was interested in purchasing, upgrading and operating an exclusive mega-yacht marina in Greece.

In 2008 and 2009, Panos worked at EKKA Yachts, the Ferretti Group exclusive dealer in Greece, in a successful attempt to promote the Bertram Yacht brand. His dedication and deep appreciation of Bertram’s long history and legendary hull, enabled him to successfully oversee the order, production and delivery of three Bertram yachts, one of which was the yard’s flagship model. During that time, Panos further enhanced his knowledge and experience in yacht design, production, sales, survey, registration, maintenance and servicing.