Strong Parasols for Professionals
Biography Pierre Christiaens
Pierre Christiaens is the owner and CEO of Symo Parasols. Previously he worked as a Sales Promoter at Nestlé, then as Sales Manager and General Manager at Mommaerts. Pierre helped to negotiate the sale of Mommaerts to Heywood Williams, listed on the London Stock Exchange.
He wrote the book 'Pick the right Parasol (and your terrace will be packed)'. Pierre also regularly blogs about his passions: parasols, catering, marketing, positive psychology.
The City of Rome awarded Pierre Christiaens the honorary title 'Maestro dell'Artigianato' because at Symo Parasols he keeps alive the centuries-old craft of umbrella and parasol makers. In 2007 Unizo nominated him as Creative Entrepreneur.
Pierre studied Latin & Science at the Sint-Lodewijks college in Bruges (Belgium). He holds a Master's degree in Political Science and graduated with great distinction from the University of Ghent (now Vlerick Business School) with a special degree in Marketing.
He is happily married and father of 3 children.
In his spare time Pierre reads several books every month, mainly about positive psychology and marketing. He travels passionately and supports the local football team Club Brugge.
We are proud to declare that the majority of our Symo and Sywawa parasols are manufactured in Bruges. As such, we are more than happy to give them the label “Made in Bruges”. They are developed and designed at our production unit in Bruges, down to every last detail. That is how the masts and ribs are built here and the quality canvas is cut here. Solidity and quality go hand in hand In our metal department, the aluminium, stainless…
Inspiration for the Gulliver came from the archetypal umbrella. The two products are 99% identical in shape, construction, material, and function. Only the scale is different. Scaling up an umbrella leads to a new product with an alienating appearance. It is that one percent that makes a big difference; in this case the handle forms a foot. The name Gulliver refers to the character in Jonathan Swift’s book in which the principal character ends up in a world where everything…
"Pick the right parasol (and your terrace will be packed)"
25 years of experience of Pierre Christiaens bundled in 50 valuable parasol tips for the hospitality industry.
Download now temporarily your free digital copy.
