America’s Cup: Athena Racing appoints Ian Walker as CEO
Ben Ainslie (left) with Athena Racing CEO, Ian Walker. Image courtesy of Athena Racing
Athena Racing has appointed Ian Walker as chief executive officer for its America’s Cup challenge. Walker brings experience from previous America’s Cup and Ocean Race campaigns, including leadership roles across both on-water and high-performance team operations.
He skippered Britain’s Wight Lightning in the 31st America’s Cup in 2003 and led three Ocean Race campaigns, winning the 2014–15 edition with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.
After that period, he moved into performance and technical management roles. He served as performance director for the British Sailing Team, overseeing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic cycle in which the team topped the sailing medal table with five medals, including three golds. He then joined North Sails, where he led the UK sailmaking team for three years.
Walker joins Athena Racing following the recent formation of the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP). The ACP introduces an independent management structure intended to replace the previous winner‑takes‑all model with shared governance. Future America’s Cup events are scheduled to run every two years.
The road to the announcement was a rocky one. First off the block, Athena Racing disseminated a statement in May 2025 to raise the issue of whether a fair sporting protocol is being negotiated for the 38th America’s Cup. The statement accused both Team New Zealand (TNZ) and the government of Italy of lacking transparency when it comes to the agreement to use Naples as the host venue, and of making premature announcements.
Swiftly following Athena’s statement, American Magic weighed in, saying it’s found itself at a ‘crossroads’. The US-based team is urging the defender – Team New Zealand – “to work in good faith with the Challenger of Record [Athena Racing] to restore the elements of fair competition, transparency, and respect for all sailors, globally, who are ultimately the beneficiaries of this time-honoured trust.”
And then came the rebuttal from TNZ. It says it has been ‘working closely and positively with all teams on moving the America’s Cup to a new collaborative partnership and structure’ and goes on to talk around strengthening the future of the cup for the benefit of the event and ‘all current and future teams’.
In April 2025, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Britannia team confirmed it will not compete in the 38th America’s Cup, following the conclusion of a ‘protracted negotiation’ with Athena Racing.
Just a week later, Switzerland’s Alinghi Red Bull Racing announced it was terminating its America’s Cup campaign. In late October, American Magic confirmed it will not compete in the 38th edition of the America’s Cup – the first time in the event’s 175-year history that an American boat has not taken part.
The appointment of Walker reunites him with Athena Racing team principal Sir Ben Ainslie, with whom he competed as part of Team GB at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.
Walker says: “It’s an exciting moment to return to the America’s Cup with a British challenge that has the continuity of the last three campaigns, alongside the recent creation of the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP). That was a big part of my decision to take this on, because I believe in what the ACP is trying to achieve – creating a sustainable, viable commercial business model for the competition. I’ve also worked with several members of the team previously, which gives me real confidence in what we’re building together.
“The cup has evolved enormously since I was last involved in terms of the boats, the technology, and even the balance between sailors and designers. But at its core, it remains unchanged, it’s about managing your resources, getting the best out of your people, and making every second count, in a race against time, and the clock is ticking.”
Ainslie says: “Ian is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of success with high-performance campaigns across the very top of our sport, there are very few people as qualified, both on and off the water.” He adds that Walker understands the demands of innovation, performance, budget management and tight schedules: “For AC38, that timeline is tight, and we needed a CEO who could hit the ground running and Ian can do that, he understands how to drive teams forward and the importance of continuity in achieving the ultimate goal.”
Walker concludes: “The America’s Cup transcends the sport of sailing and has so much untapped potential. I am excited about what lies ahead. Just imagine how cool it would be for the team to win it for Britain.”
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