Panasonic teams up with French Olympic Qualifier in Surfing, Vahiné Fierro to support sustainability

• Driving sustainability awareness in the lead-up to Olympic Games Paris 2024
• Collaboration will support Fierro to her first Olympic Games representing France
• Joining together to master sustainability

Gennevilliers, France, 27^th March 2024 - Panasonic is delighted to announce that Tahitian Surfer, Vahiné Fierro has joined Team Panasonic as a Sustainability Ambassador. With the Olympic Games Paris 2024 coming soon, the collaboration will help drive awareness of the need for everyone to work together for sustainability action and make progress towards preserving our planet.

Vahiné is from the French Polynesian island of Huahine, an island North West of Tahiti where the surfing competition at Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be held this year. She is the first Tahitian Woman to win a WSL (World Surf League) World Junior Title in Australia in 2018, a Best Women’s barrel Award 2019, and to achieve a qualification to the Olympic Games, in 2023.

Whilst her parents taught her how to surf when she was two years old, Vahiné started competing locally at the age of 13, and internationally at the age of 16. Her qualification for representing France at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is her biggest competitive achievement to date.

Vahiné Fierro comments, “I couldn’t be more proud and honoured to be working with Panasonic. It is a company that is working really hard to address climate change and sustainability.

“When I was 17 years old, I met other surfers who were really engaged in the preservation of the ocean, and it sparked my first interest in sustainability.”

Vahiné’s love for the ocean drives her to take the time to collect plastics from the beaches and waters each time she comes out of her surf. She is also an ambassador for Coral Gardeners, an organisation which is revolutionising ocean conservation by replanting corals that have been affected by global warming.

Team Panasonic Sustainability Ambassadors

Vahiné is the latest addition to a team of world-class athletes who share the same passion for our planet. Alongside Team Panasonic European athletes Hannah Cockroft, Malaika Mihambo and Hannah Mills, Vahiné will collaborate with Panasonic to bring people together for a common goal – to protect and safeguard our planet.

Junichi Suzuki, Chairman and CEO of Panasonic Europe B.V. comments, “Vahiné is a World Class surfer; an Olympic qualifier made for any kind of quality waves, and we are very happy to support her in the lead-up to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and share the same values with regards to respect for the planet and the need to address climate change.

“Panasonic GREEN IMPACT is not just a project, not just a campaign, but a long-term commitment. And it is through world-class athletes like Vahiné that we can drive and sustain awareness of the importance of sustainability for today and for many years to come.” 

Panasonic provides Team Panasonic athletes with funding to support their sporting efforts and works with them to highlight their sustainability and DEI (diversity, equity & inclusivity) advocacy efforts to help educate, inspire, and help others with environmental and social issues that are important to them.

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For more information about Panasonic GREEN IMPACT vision visit: https://holdings.panasonic/global/corporate/panasonic-green-impact.html

For more information about Panasonic as a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner visit: Panasonic Official Olympic & Paralympic Website | Panasonic Holdings

About the Panasonic Group

Founded in 1918, and today a global leader in developing innovative technologies and solutions for wide-ranging applications in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, industry, communications, and energy sectors worldwide, the Panasonic Group switched to an operating company system on April 1, 2022 with Panasonic Holdings Corporation serving as a holding company and eight companies positioned under its umbrella. The Group reported consolidated net sales of 8,378.9 billion yen (ca. 59.4 billion Euro) for the year ended March 31, 2023. To learn more about the Panasonic Group, please visit: https://holdings.panasonic/global/