About
Corporate Profile
The People Behind the Evolution of Targa Newfoundland
The father & son team of Robert and Scott Giannou find sport in taking risks, love a fast-paced challenge and are always game for making the impossible possible. That is why it is no surprise these professionals founded Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, the producer of Targa Newfoundland, while enjoying one of their adventurous hobbies: sailing in the waters of the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland & Labrador.
The next chapter in the evolution of Targa Newfoundland was written shortly thereafter when well known Canadian communications consultant Doug Mepham and automotive personality & journalist, Jim Kenzie, called Robert Giannou on their way home from competing at Targa Tasmania to see if the former labour negotiator was interested in taking on a Targa project in North America.
The answer of, of course, was a resounding 'Yes!'
Over eight years later, Targa Newfoundland remains one of only three Targa events worldwide – besides Targa Tasmania, there is also Targa New Zealand. The Targa Newfoundland event attracts approximately 200 competitors each year from countries as far away as the Turks & Caicos and Australia. The event annually engages over 2000 volunteers in 70 communities and generates an average of $16 million per year (directly and indirectly) for the provincial economy – making it a considerable contributor to small business in rural Newfoundland. Since 2005, Targa Newfoundland has also raised $160,000 for the its official charity of choice, Easter Seals. In 2010, Targa Newfoundland named Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador the official charity of choice.
This tremendous success has been in part to the experienced senior leadership team that lives, breathes and thinks 'Targa' year round.
Targa Newfoundland President Robert Giannou is a man with vision and a passion for logistics, efficient operations and innovative solutions. His lifelong experience in the labor relations arena as a negotiator hasp repared him to bring stakeholders together. Robert is also a a proven 'outside the box' thinker and our in-house problem solver, needed skills when convincing varying levels of government to close roads for a major motorsport event!
His son Scott complements his father's strategic yet detail passionate approach with his natural sales & marketing capabilities. Scott is known throughout the food & beverage industry as 'The Beverage Baron', a purveyor of fine wines & liquor from throughout the globe. He brings his sales expertise from this industry to his role as Vice-President, Targa Newfoundland where he continues to achieve successes engaging corporate partners and maximizing first-class marketing opportunities.
Recently, in the true spirit of a family business, Scott's wife, Judy, became more involved in the daily operations of the company. Judy is a seasoned business executive and entrepreneur with a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry. In fact, a great deal of her corporate life has been spent in her own family business that has operations within the hotel, tourism and real estate sectors. Recognized as a Top 50 CEO in Atlantic Canada by Atlantic Business Magazine, Judy not only provides senior leadership expertise in operations but delivers the strategic public relations & corporate development functions of the company.
The collective Giannou effort has resulted in the production of one of the most compelling and life altering weeks that anyone can do - anywhere…
Targa Newfoundland – It's About The Drive!
