eMagazine

Eloi Planes focuses on sustainability and digitalization in Matins Esade

The executive president of Fluidra shared his vision of the company’s future and its remarkable backstory at this new gathering
Eloi Planes

 

At an event led by Daniel Sánchez (Lic&MBA 92), president of Esade Alumni, and Luis Vives, Deputy Dean for Programs at Esade, Eloi Planes surveyed some of the company’s key moments, such as its IPO in 2007, overcoming the subsequent financial crisis, and its merger with the U.S.-based company Zodiac in 2016. “You can perceive the families’ commitment at those key junctures. We’ve had the ability to decide what we want to be in each of the company’s new phases. I see Fluidra as a Netflix series, with each season bookended by major milestones,” he said. “Having four founding families has always been an advantage – it has enabled us to organize the company solidly, and even though the governance has evolved, it has always kept an organized, stable foundation,” he added.

 

Future trends

Looking towards 2035, the CEO highlighted the strength of the swimming pool sector: “It’s a structurally healthy, growing market. The global swimming pool stock continues to expand, and the construction of new facilities is increasing 4% to 5% every year, which allows for an optimistic outlook.” He also identified two major trends that are transforming the industry: sustainability and energy efficiency.

“Fluidra conceptually leads sustainability in the sector, but we have to work towards regulations that drive this transformation. We have to keep developing technologies to lower water and energy consumption,” he asserted. He also said that “the digitalization of swimming pools is redefining the sector, given that a high-tech, connected pool makes it possible to offer new services and generates new business opportunities.”

Eloi Planes

 

Reflecting on Fluidra’s history, Planes recalled that his father launched the company in 1969, the same year he was born. He also highlighted the challenging early years and attributed the establishment of the company’s primary values to its four founding partners. “There are four elements that are the heart of Fluidra,” he said. The first is meeting the needs swimming pool professionals; the second is internationalization; the third is having entrepreneurs in leadership positions; and the fourth is character.”

Regarding Fluidra’s expansion, Planes stressed that the key to growth lies in market penetration: “We operate in 47 countries which account for 96% of the global swimming pool stock. Even though we have a very broad market, the growth is focused on increasing our share in each region. We see a huge long-term potential in markets like Central Europe, where summers are longer.”

During the session, Planes also paid tribute to the legacy of his father, Joan Planes, honorary president and founder of Fluidra, who recently passed away. Throughout this history, he stood out for his strategic vision, his generosity when passing the baton to the next generation, and his ability to reinvent himself in his later years, spending his time on philanthropic efforts and community projects. “My father was very special for me and my family. He became wiser, more human, and more affectionate as he got older. He was able to reinvent himself and always had projects. If he had lived to be 200, he would still have had projects to do,” he stated. “That legacy is important, but what gives me the most satisfaction is that it has gone beyond the family and the company has managed to continue forging ahead on its own,” he concluded.

Eloi Planes

 

Watch here the video of the session

 

Share it

Related posts