Athena Racing has announced that world-renowned sailor and high-performance executive Ian Walker has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of its America’s Cup Challenge.
Walker is no stranger to the America’s Cup, having skippered Britain’s Wight Lightning in the 31st America’s Cup in 2003. He has also led three Ocean Race campaigns, culminating in victory in the 2014–15 edition with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.
His focus then moved to leading high-performance teams off the water. Walker served as Performance Director for the British Sailing Team, overseeing a hugely successful campaign that saw the team top the sailing medal table at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, winning five medals, including three golds. Following that, he joined North Sails, leading their expert UK sailmaking team for the past three years.
Walker joins the team following the recent announcement of the new America’s Cup Partnership (ACP). The Partnership will be led by an independent management team. Moving away from a “winner-takes-all” model to one of mutual governance. Each competing team holds a seat on the board, with a shared focus on commercial growth, long-term investment in the event, and continued technical development and innovation across future America’s Cup competitions, which will now be contested every two years.
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A two-time Olympic medallist, Walker expressed his excitement on returning to the sharp end of elite competition:
“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.”
The move reunites Walker with Athena Racing Team Principal Sir Ben Ainslie, a former Team GB teammate at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games:
“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,” said Ainslie.
Ainslie continued, “He also understands the complexity of running teams that need to be at the forefront of innovation and performance while meeting both budget and timeline demands. 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 concluded: “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.”
