Mark Turner – sailor turned marketeer

by Tracey Clarke/IBI Magazine on 23 Sep 2003 Tracey Clarke spoke with the sailor turned marketeer following the launch of his company's latest venture on behalf of Australian sailor Nick Moloney and UK female sailor Sam Davies.

The Southampton Boat Show was the venue for the launch of its latest high profile sailing project for the Offshore Challenges Group. The new project, to be known as 'Team Cowes', is the latest in a succession of exercises that marry rising sailing stars with prominent sponsors.
Mark Turner established Offshore Challenges in 1992 and was joined by Ellen MacArthur in 1997.

At that time their claim to fame was largely as equally talented individuals in the close knit offshore sailing fraternity. However, as their ambitious sailing projects unfolded, it was Ellen who eventually made the headlines for her endeavours. But, behind the increasingly famous sailing projects, Mark Turner has consistently advanced their business aims.

At the recent launch IBI asked Turner how he felt about being the ‘backbone’ behind the projects:
‘I am used to being the man back in the office,’ he responded. ‘Since 1997 I haven't entertained being a professional sailor, it really is a full time job these days; I get as much from marketing, communications and management as I do from sailing’.

None of Turner's expertise comes from management textbooks. He acknowledges gaining valuable experience from six years in the UK Royal Navy and working for small companies but he's also quick to point out that he hasn't stopped developing. ‘We're still at the bottom of the slope and there's plenty more to learn,’ he states.

Turner's awareness of the needs of sponsors belies his relatively recent entrance into the complex world of commercial support for sport. He is clearly proud of the fact that they have built a solid base of over 20 commercial partners and he passionately believes in looking after them.

While he says the business of keeping sponsors happy ‘is not rocket science,’ he nevertheless believes that only the hard work and dedication by his whole team has resulted in all of their sponsors staying on board.

He highlights this current project as being important in not only drawing together two of the existing Offshore Challenges partners but also bringing them to the Transat Jacques Vabre race.

This is an event close to the heart of Offshore Challenges but modesty appears to prevent Turner from mentioning that it was Ellen MacArthur who took it from a little known transatlantic event to much greater prominence.

The project also illustrates Turner's overriding philosophy at Offshore Challenges. Team Cowes has brought together Australian sailor Nick Moloney and UK female sailor Sam Davies who will be supported by commercial partners Skandia and Cowes Waterfront. When asked whether it was the partners who had chosen the project, Mark was clear on his priorities.

‘The projects, and the races the sailors do, is what they want from a sporting point of view,’ he asserts. ‘The core is first of all the sporting challenge and the sailor's dreams, and what they want to do in competition terms, and then we build the project around it.’

The Offshore Challenges Group now employs up to 30 people, manages three professional sailors and provides services to other events and campaigns.

The company has become a specialist in using modern communications technology to take the sport to a wider audience. For example the company claims that its Internet site registered close to 100 million hits during just 24 days of the Jules Verne campaign earlier this year.

Turner is eager to stress that there is more to come ‘We have two major challenges,’ he says. ‘We are currently looking for a title sponsor for Nick for the Vendée Globe in 2004. We have also recently acquired the OSTAR race, the very first single-handed race, that started in 1960.

There will be 40 or 50 boats racing to the US from Plymouth, making it one of the biggest ever ocean races. We have a lot of work cut out to get things in place for the start in May 2004.’

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