Energizing Chinese adventure spirit

Jose Boisjoli leads BRP's drive to introduce power products and leasing model for rough sports

 

Jose Boisjoli, president and CEO of BRP, or Bombardier Recreational Products Inc, believes senior executives must have outstanding ability to manage their time well.

The head of the Quebec, Canada-headquartered manufacturer of snowmobiles, watercraft and off-road vehicles, has a simple philosophy: hard work and a balanced approach are key to a successful life.

 

Those three abilities - time management, hard work and a balanced approach - have helped Boisjoli to push three product lines into the China market, where a consumption upgrade and the run-up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are proving to be timely advantages.

 

Every time he visits China, he can't stop thinking about how many Chinese cities BRP's products have yet to reach. "We see China as a big, big opportunity. We see it as a must-have and not a nice-to-have," he said during an early morning interview in Shanghai, after an overnight flight from Xi'an.

 

An outdoor sports enthusiast, Boisjoli said China is no longer the distant outpost it once was for BRP.

 

BRP is in talks with local partners in Chongqing municipality and the three autonomous regions of Guangxi Zhuang, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uygur to further expand its dealership network in China.

 

It also plans to introduce the product leasing business in China via tailor-made packages. Consumers can rent the products on certain days or a few weekends, instead of buying them. It's a business model that is fairly popular in North America and Europe.

 

"We will further expand sales channels, develop new products and sponsor well-known sport activities to enrich consumers' need for new lifestyles and holiday choices, so they can know more about our products," said Boisjoli, who is also a board member of McCain Foods Ltd, a Canadian food company that operates 54 plants across the world.

 

The company supplied snowmobiles to the Organizing Committee of the Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games in February and wants to cooperate with the Organizing Committee of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics to offer its products and expertise based on its requirement.