Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

SailGP lays foundations for long-term growth with structural changes and new hires

by SailGP 2 Feb 2023 13:42 PST
The fleet in action on Race Day 2 of the Singapore Sail Grand Prix presented by the Singapore Tourism Board © Felix Diemer for SailGP

SailGP, the global racing league, has announced a new structure as it approaches the end of a record-breaking third season and builds towards an expanded Season 4.

SailGP will be organized into key business units including SailGP League covering Commercial, Marketing, Events, Technology and Strategy; SailGP Productions covering Broadcast and Content and SailGP Technologies which is the boat building, design and applied technologies division of the company.

Sir Russell Coutts will continue to oversee all business units as SailGP CEO while Andy Thompson will take on a wider role as Managing Director of the SailGP League business unit, focussing on the growth and commercialization of SailGP. Until now Thompson has been the Chief Commercial Officer of SailGP, having previously worked as CFO of the America's Cup until 2017. Newly recruited Melissa Lawton - who joined in May 2022 from Meta - will lead the SailGP Production unit.

As part of the focus on growth and fan engagement, SailGP has also bolstered its talent across departments, with Leah Davis and Nicola Sands joining the Marketing department as Global Marketing Director and Global Event Marketing Manager respectively. Davis and Sands will focus on building, leading and executing the global marketing strategy with overall responsibility for brand and consumer marketing, media effectiveness, event marketing and fan engagement working closely with SailGP's local teams in each market.

Davis has previously worked for Team GB as Head of Marketing and Brand for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic cycles as well as the Laureus World Sports Awards. She also sits on the board of British Cycling. Sands was previously the Head of Marketing for W Series, and has worked for a number of rights holders running high-profile global sports events.

Tom Gracey also joins the business as Global Head of Broadcast Media Partnerships. In this role Gracey will own and execute SailGP's global media rights strategy, building and developing relationships with broadcasters and online media publications.

Gracey joins SailGP from W Series, where he was Head of Broadcast and Media Rights. Prior to this he worked for the English Football Association, most recently as the Broadcast and Media Rights Lead sitting across the FA Cup, men's and women's national teams, development teams and the Women's Super League.

The league has also made some key promotions internally with Daisy Vollans moving into the role of Director of Digital and Sacha Kemp promoted to Communications Director. The league's commitment to purpose and impact remains strong with Fiona Morgan taking on the position of Chief Purpose Officer. Julie Boyd will step into the role of Chief Financial Officer with Jon Massie being promoted to Chief People Officer to support the wider workforce growth.

SailGP's commercial team will be led by three regional commercial directors with Charlie Dewhurst overseeing the EMEA region along with global commercial strategy, Ben Johnson continuing to lead the Americas and Karl Budge expanding his core remit of the New Zealand team to the wider APAC region.

Thompson said: "SailGP is experiencing industry-leading growth, and as we prepare for both the Grand Final of Season 3 in San Francisco and the launch of our expanded fourth season in the coming months, now is the perfect time to put in place the right team and the right structure to take us into this exciting new phase as a business and championship."

SailGP Season 3 continues later this month with the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney on February 18-19 before the sold-out ITM New Zealand Grand Prix in Christchurch on March 18-19 and the Season 3 Grand Final in San Francisco on May 6-7.

Related Articles

Ted Gersen joins Palm Beach Motor Yachts
Expanding Newport, Rhode Island presence with Industry Sales Veteran Continuing its expansion and focus on customer experience, Palm Beach Motor Yachts is excited to announce that yacht sales professional Ted Gersen has joined the company's Newport, Rhode Island team. Posted today at 7:53 pm
Antares 12 Coupe: a cruiser for all seasons
Asserting its position as a versatile family cruiser Faithful to the Antares line, the Antares 12 Coupe asserts its position as a versatile family cruiser, designed to accompany you on long passages, across all latitudes. Posted today at 9:24 am
Airship | Funter Bay to Flynn Cove
Lots of fishing boats out today, as well as a few Dall's porpoises who surfed our bow for a bit We leisured late this morning in Funter Bay and didn't leave until after 11am. Another gorgeous, sunny day! We watched the F1 race and then pulled our anchor and headed out into the mostly glassy Icy Strait toward Flynn Cove. Posted today at 6:21 am
Airship | Juneau to Funter Bay
We'll be buddy boating a bit over the next week or more with Dave on Turnagain We'll be buddy boating a bit over the next week or more with Dave on Turnagain, now joined by his brother Kyle. Posted on 28 Jul
Debut of the Picnic Boat 39
A new icon joins the fleet We invented the Picnic Boat. And we've never stopped perfecting it. The new Hinckley Picnic Boat 39 is a masterpiece of timeless design and modern ingenuity. Posted on 27 Jul
Prestige F4.3 - a new model for Cannes
A unique entry into the world of high-end yachting Experience the elegance and refinement of the new generation of the F-Line aboard the PRESTIGE F4.3. The quality of materials, fit and finish, interior and exterior design, functionality. Posted on 25 Jul
Four Winns debuts TH33 and TH38 power catamarans
Engineered to transform boating experiences into refined escapes Engineered to transform boating experiences into refined escapes, the new Four Winns TH33 and TH38 set a new standard for power catamarans of its size as the latest addition to its TH (Twin Hull) Series, launched in 2023. Posted on 24 Jul
Helping boaters steer clear of common mistakes
Veteran Sea Tow® captains share their tips Boating season is already in full throttle, and Sea Tow®, recognized throughout the marine industry as Your Road Service at Sea®, is proud to offer boating tips to avoid some of the most common mistakes seen on the water. Posted on 24 Jul
Airship | Ford's Terror to Wood Spit
We slept in again this morning at Ford's Terror We slept in again this morning at Ford's Terror, and then Taylor made a super yum breakfast taco bar...scrambled eggs, hash browns, Jerry's double-smoked bacon, tomatillo cream sauce, etc.... Posted on 24 Jul
Harris Boats unveils new Sunliner & Sunliner Sport
A bold evolution in Pontoon design Harris Boats, a leader in luxury pontoon craftsmanship and a Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) brand, has announced the launch of the completely redesigned Sunliner and the debut of the dynamic Sunliner Sport. Posted on 23 Jul
Palm Beach Motor YachtsMaritimo M600