New York Yacht Club American Magic announces leadership team

As challenger for the 37th America’s Cup, New York Yacht Club American Magic has confirmed its leadership team for the 2024 event.

In January, American Magic agreed to represent the New York Yacht Club at AC37 in a renewed collaboration to bring the Auld Mug back to the United States. The news marked a surprising U-turn, after New York Yacht Club originally decided not to challenge in 2024. The challenge has now been formally accepted by Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

“We have an incredibly talented, experienced, and dedicated team and are fortunate to have such dynamic and talented people across our entire organization,” says Doug DeVos, principal of New York Yacht Club American Magic. “We know people are at the centre of all we do and are the critical ingredients for success both on and off the water.”

•    Mike Cazer (Grand Rapids, Mich.) will serve as Chief Executive Officer, leading the overall team, emphasising building American Magic into a commercially attractive brand, and as the leader in sailing in the United States. Mike also serves as CEO of Continuum Ventures and has nearly 35 years of global business experience. Before American Magic and Continuum, Mike was the Chief Operating Officer Amway and was a senior executive with Brinks and GE. 

•    Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.) will continue as Skipper and President of Sailing Operations. Hutchinson is a two-time college sailor of the year, four-time collegiate All-American, sixteen-time world champion, two-time U.S. Rolex Yachtsman of the year, and is a past winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup. He is now entering into his sixth America’s Cup program.

•    Scott Ferguson (Jamestown, R.I), who signed with the team last August, will serve as Design Coordinator and lead a design team to bring innovation and cutting-edge technology to our design approach. Ferguson is a three-time collegiate All-American, two-time world champion, and two-time America’s Cup winner as a designer. The Naval Architect is entering into his ninth America’s Cup campaign, highlighted with wins in 2010 and 2013 with Oracle Team USA during the transition to winged sails and high-speed foiling in the America’s Cup. 

•    Tyson Lamond (Denver, Colo.) steps into a new role this campaign as Chief Operating Officer. Lamond was previously Boat Captain with American Magic in the 36th America’s Cup, and very involved in the team’s operations. Before that, he supported SoftBank Team Japan (Shore Operations Manager, 2015-2017) and Emirates Team New Zealand (Boat Captain, 2008-2015). He will remain strongly focused on operations. 

•    Ben Osborn (Minneapolis, Minn.) continues as American Magic’s Chief Financial Officer. He also serves as a financial executive inside the marine operations of The Churchill Companies, where he has spent the past twenty-one years of his career. Prior to his tenure at The Churchill Companies, Osborn worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their audit and business assurance practice.  

“We remain intensely focused on our goal of winning the America’s Cup and bringing the Cup home to the New York Yacht Club and the United States,” says Hap Fauth, principal of New York Yacht Club American Magic. “We have the right team in place to achieve extraordinary and historic success.”