Leading experts appointed to World Sailing's Sustainability Commission

by Daniel Smith – World Sailing on 5 Jun 2017 Following the announcement of World Sailing's sustainability strategy in November 2016, the international federation of the sport has appointed a leading group of experts to its first sustainability commission which will be chaired by Mike Golding OBE.

One of the world's most accomplished and successful offshore sailors, Golding will lead a group of independent experts, thought leaders and distinguished sailors. Each member of the Sustainability Commission has a common passion and desire to drive sustainability within sailing and the marine industry forward.

The World Sailing Sustainability Commission members are:
Mike Golding OBE (GBR) – Chairman
Mark Orams (NZL)
Jill Savery (USA)
Will Oxley (AUS)
Stratis Andreadis (GRE)
James Blake (GBR)
Emily Penn (GBR)
Stephanie Draper (GBR)
Further information on each member of the commission is available below.

Today's announcement falls on World Environment Day, the United Nations' most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment.

Since it began in 1972, global citizens have organized many thousands of events, from neighbourhood clean-ups, to action against wildlife crime, to replanting forests.

As part of World Environment Day, World Sailing encourages followers to get involved and share a photo or video of their favourite place in nature to sail using #WorldEnvironmentDay or #WithNature and explain why it's special. Read more here.

Furthermore, Dan Reading has been appointed as World Sailing's Sustainability Programme Manager, joining from the environmental programme of the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine, the leisure marine trade association.

Reading was London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competition Sustainability Manager and has worked with several organisations implementing sustainable event management systems including Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing and the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

On his appointed, Reading commented, 'I'm thrilled to have been appointed to deliver World Sailing's Sustainability Programme; I look forward to working with a variety of stakeholders across World Sailing's network.

'As someone who enjoys getting out on the water, I have a natural passion for our environment. I know thousands of sailors across the world want to be able to reduce their environmental impact at the same time as raising awareness of global issues that affect our playground.

'As sailors, we are in a privileged position to see first-hand the health of our oceans and waterways and through my new role, and with guidance from the sustainability commission, we will deliver an ambitious programme that recognises and collaborates with some of the great projects already being undertaken.”

World Sailing released its sustainability strategy at the 2016 Annual Conference in Barcelona, Spain. The strategy will ensure that World Sailing, its members and partners have a framework that delivers fact-based tangible benefit across the three pillars of sustainability – environmentally, social and economically.

Following the identification of risks and opportunities, eight objectives to drive the strategy have been set. These include:
Protect and enhance sailing's waters and the wider water environment
Promote research into the impact of sailing on the environment
Encourage a robust approach to sustainability across the sports and its supporting affiliated industries
Minimise World Sailing's carbon footprint and promote resource efficiency across the Sport
Create a sound economic base for World Sailing and the Sport
Provide and promote safe and collaborative working environments
Develop diverse and inclusive operations, promoting sailing in an open and accessible way to increase participation
Communicate the benefits and importance of sustainability and facilitate stakeholder engagement in the delivery of this strategy

World Sailing's Official Technology Partner, SAP and Automotive Partner, Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo Group and Volvo Car Group have pledged their support to working with World Sailing on sustainability programmes.

The first meeting of the Sustainability Commission will take place later this year.

About the Sustainability Commission Members

Mike Golding OBE (GBR)
One of the world's most accomplished and successful offshore sailors. An IMOCA and FICO world champion, Mike has consistently achieved winning performances in the most prestigious round the world and transoceanic race events. After numerous world records and successes in various sailing disciplines, both crewed and solo, Mike's passion for the sport in all its forms remains undiminished.

Mark Orams (NZL)
Professor Mark Orams has a diverse background in sailing. He was a member of the crew of Steinlager 2 the winner of the 1989/90 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race and was a member of Team New Zealand's America's Cup defences in 2000 and 2003. He is a professor of Marine Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand and has specific interests in marine conservation, marine protected areas and marine mammal tourism.

Jill Savery (USA)
Jill Savery is a 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist, 8-time World Champion and an International Swimming Hall of Fame Inductee in the sport of synchronized swimming. Jill is a sustainability advisor and consultant, public speaker, University graduate school instructor, and author (Sustainability and Sport, 2011, one of the first books in the sustainability and sport field).

Will Oxley (AUS)
A lifelong sailor and is passionate about the ocean and the health of the marine environment. His sailing experience includes five round the world races, most recently as navigator on CAMPER and then Alvimedica in the last two Volvo Ocean Races. Will's previous career was as a Coral Reef Ecologist.

Stratis Andreadis (GRE)
A lifelong sailor, Stratis Andreadis has worked in World Sailing's Match Racing Committee, Rankings sub-committee and Youth Match Racing working party. Since 2011 he has created regattas in his native Greece and worked on alternative ways of developing sailing. In 2013 he co-founded the first sustainable fashion startup focused on storytelling from the rich heritage of yachting and yacht racing.

James Blake (GBR)
James Blake is an Associate Professor in naval architecture at the University of Southampton, specialising in yacht and high performance craft and marine safety and environmental engineering. James is passionate about improving the sustainability of yacht structures and construction and alongside serving on the International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress in Sailing Yacht Design and Structural Longevity researches the use of natural fibres and bioresins for structural composites.

Stephanie Draper (GBR)
Stephanie is an expert in collaborative processes, change and sustainable development. Steph's background combines science and change management. Following her Masters in Environment and Conservation, she worked at the Industrial Society, specialising in strategy and change consultancy. Stephanie is co-founder and chair of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, a trustee of the Travel Foundation and member of the Firmenich Sustainability Board.

Emily Penn (GBR)
Emily Penn is an ocean advocate and skipper. She has spent the past decade leading sailing expeditions to study, expose and tackle environmental challenges from the Tropics to the Arctic, largely through the organisation she co-founded, Pangaea Explorations. With a focus on ocean plastic pollution, Emily's mission to activate a community of changemakers is realised through her work at eXXpedition and Parley for the Oceans.