Ian Walker joins Athena Racing

World-renowned sailor and high-performance executive Ian Walker has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of its Athena Racing’s 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. – Full story