The International Padel Cluster (CIP) has appointed Michel Gogniat to the post of Technical Secretary (equivalent to Cluster Manager), although Gogniat himself, in his inaugural message via the CIP newsletter, calls himself Managing Director.
It would appear from the CIP’s organization chart online that Gogniat is replacing Jaume Ferrer, Technical Secretary / Coordinator since May 2020.
These details aside, the CIP calls Gogniat’s appointment a key phase in the padel sector’s growth and internationalization – in line with its Strategic Plan 2026-28, to be submitted for approval at the next general assembly.
According to his LinkedIn page, Gogniat is at present an International Development Specialist with MG Consulting and appears to own and operate Irigoienea, an inn in rural Navarra, Spain.
In terms of our industry, he spent 11 years (through November 2025) as Sales Director at the outdoor company Ternua Group and seven years (mostly in the 1990s) as International Marketing Manager or General Manager at the racquet-sports brand Babolat. In between he spent a year as International Sales Consultant at AFYDAD, Spain’s trade association for sports, and 12 years as Sales Marketing Manager at Import Arrasate, where he worked with Astore, Ternua, El Corte Inglés, Forum Sport and Intersport and negotiated deals in several European and Southeast Asian countries.
His aforementioned inaugural message lays out the following priorities for the next few months:
- The World Padel Summit (May 26-28)
- ISO standards for padel courts
- Improvements in the collection and analysis of market data
- The establishment of an international network of mentors and ambassadors in key countries
- Relations with the International Padel Federation (FIP)
- Sports tourism and club development
- The internationalization of CIP members
