Two-time Olympic medallist Ian Walker has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Athena Racing’s America’s Cup challenge.
He brings experience from previous America’s Cup and round-the-world campaigns.
Walker skippered Britain’s Wight Lightning in the 31st America’s Cup in 2003.
He also led three Ocean Race campaigns, including overall victory in the 2014–15 edition with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.
Walker has long-standing links with Irish sailing campaigns.
He skippered the Irish Green Dragon Volvo Ocean Race campaign and, more recently, was a skipper of one of the Royal Irish Yacht Club’s boats for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup.
His more recent roles have focused on performance management and team leadership.
As Performance Director for the British Sailing Team, he oversaw the programme that topped the sailing medal table at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with five medals, including three golds.
He then joined North Sails, where he has led the UK sailmaking operation for the past three years.
Walker now steps into the CEO role following the launch of the new America’s Cup Partnership (ACP), which will oversee the event’s governance.
The ACP is led by an independent management team.
It replaces a “winner-takes-all” structure with a shared model in which each competing team holds a seat on the board.
The stated aims include commercial growth, long-term investment and ongoing technical development and innovation, with future America’s Cup events to be contested every two years.
Walker said the combination of team continuity and the ACP’s new framework was key to his decision.
“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),” he said.
“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.”
He noted the extent of change in the event since his last involvement.
“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,” he said.
“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 appointment reunites Walker with Athena Racing Team Principal Sir Ben Ainslie, his former Team GB teammate at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Ainslie, who this week said a new team backer will be announced shortly, said Walker’s background matched the demands of the campaign.
“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.
He added that the compressed timeline to the 38th America’s Cup (AC38) made experience in complex projects crucial.
“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.”
Looking ahead, Walker said the event still has room to grow.
“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.”
