Thriving in the environment: J/111 Owner Profile - Louise Makin
by Key Yachting 1 Jun 2021 23:30 PDT
Journeymaker II competing at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup © Paul Wyeth / Key Yachting
Louise Makin has received notable recognition in the business world and the sport of sailing. For 15 years, Louise was CEO of British Technology Group (BTG) before Boston Scientific completed the acquisition for $4.2 billion.
In 2017, Louise was appointed as the Chair for the Board of Trustees for the 1851 Trust.
Chris Jones and Louise Makin's J/111 JourneyMaker II is a familiar sight racing in the Solent. Journeymaker II, a past winner of the J/111 UK National Championship, will be competing at the Landsail Tyres J-Cup (24-26 June). For over 20 years the J-Cup has been the J Boats family gathering in the UK, and Chris and Louise have been competing at the event for many years.
"Sailing and business are about driving performance in very fast changing environments. Sailing is just about the only sport where you use the environment rather than just manage it and bring about really disciplined execution. Business today is hugely disrupted all the time and its environment is volatile and very uncertain. Sailing is a phenomenal metaphor for having to cope, use, and thrive to win, by exploiting that volatility."
The 1851 Trust was created by Sir Keith Mills with Ben Ainslie Racing during BAR's first America's Cup Campaign. In 2017, Louise was appointed as the Chair for the Board of Trustees. "The 1851 Trust is a place dear to my heart. The Trust has a recognition that there's an awful lot of young people who are completely turned off by science as it is taught in school. If science was presented as innovative and cutting edge, then actually they will be really inspired to go and do STEM subjects."
Read the full interview with Louise Makin at keyyachting.com/news.