SailGP announces new structure
Global racing league, SailGP has announced a new structure as it approaches the end of its third season and builds towards an expanded season four.
SailGP will be split into different business units including SailGP League, covering commercial, marketing, events, technology and strategy. SailGP Productions covers broadcast and content while SailGP Technologies becomes the boatbuilding, design and applied technologies division of the company.
Sir Russell Coutts continues 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 commercialisation 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 — now leads the SailGP Production unit.
As part of a fresh focus on growth and fan engagement, SailGP has appointed Leah Davis and Nicola Sands to join 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.
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.
The league has also made some promotions internally with Daisy Vollans moving into the role of director of digital and Sacha Kemp promoted to communications director. Fiona Morgan takes 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 says: “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 in Sydney on 18-19 February 2023, before the sold-out ITM New Zealand Grand Prix in Christchurch on 18-19 March 2023, and the Season 3 Grand Final in San Francisco on 6-7 May 2023.
