Knut Frostad - Chief Executive
Knut has made the smooth transition from offshore skipper to the helm of the Volvo Ocean Race. His links with the race date back to the 1993-94 race when he was helmsman on the second-placed Intrum Justitia. He was skipper and project founder/director on Innovation Kvaerner in 1997-98 and on Djuice Dragons in 2001-02. In 2005-06 he was watch leader and technical advisor with Brasil 1. He campaigned for the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988 as a board sailor and represented Norway in the Flying Dutchman class in Barcelona in 1992. His other sailing experience includes 60ft trimarans and Knut is also a two-time Sydney-Hobart winner.
Jim Allen - Racing Manager
After spending 10 years in the banking world Jim made the full-time switch to sailing in 1997, sailing all over the world and competing in Round Britain and Transat races. Before recently joining the Volvo team as Race Manager to work alongside Andy Hindley for the 2008 race, Jim was the Senior Training Skipper for The Challenge Business. As part of the race management team for the 2004-05 Global Challenge, he is no stranger to round the world yacht races.
Email: jim.allen@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 865
Harold Anderson - Executive Producer
Harold is our Executive Producer. He was responsible for the television coverage of the 2005/6 race. His BBC career has included roles as Editor of Grandstand, Sportsnight, Open Golf and Wimbledon. As well as Senior Programming roles in New Zealand, he was General Manager of ESPN Asia and Director of Sport at the Seven Network, producing the coverage of the Sydney Olympic Games. He will oversee television production and distribution for 2008/9.
Email: harold.anderson@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 823
George Blake - Commercial Director
George Blake is in fact English, although after years of working abroad on the Sydney Summer Olympics and the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, you would never think so. George joined the Volvo Ocean Race in early 2004 as Project Manager and was in charge of logistical operations for the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race. In his new role he is currently concentrating on port negotiations in the Middle East, S.E. Asia and China.
Email: george.blake@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 874
Mike Boswell - Logistics Manager
Mike joins as Logistics Manager having been Project Director for the New York stop in the last race and prior to that Chief Executive of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club where he was instrumental in bringing the event to Wellington. He has been involved in sailing for most of his life as a competitor, together with holding professional coaching and management roles. Having founded a New Zealand wine business after the last race don’t start him on how good “Kiwi” wine is.
Email: mike.boswell@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 855
Alex Carr - Sponsorship & Marketing Manager
Alex, who works as part of the commercial team with George Blake, brings 10 years of sales and sponsorship experience, having worked in the UK and abroad in both events and publications. Alex will be working with partners, sponsors and suppliers, and with the host stopover ports. With experience and qualifications in competitive sailing and rowing, he can also be found following the trials and tribulations of the England rugby team.
Email: alex.carr@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 826
Allison Crook – Office/Events Manager
Ali joined the Whitbread race team in 1991 as the Office Junior. Since then she has worked her way up to become Events Manager. Ali is a key part of the management team and works on all the various components that has made the race such a success. The 2008-09 will be her fifth race and she has now taken on the joint role of ensuring the smooth running of the Race HQ, whilst continuing to co-ordinate events.
Email: allison.crook@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 822
Jess Dahlgren - Sponsorship Services Coordinator
Jess has a solid background in advertising, having worked as an account manager for a leading advertising agency in Stockholm for 6 years. Jess then changed tack, and for five years was sailing and skippering yachts full-time, where she was able to squeeze in seven Atlantic crossings! Working within the commercial team, Jess will be looking after race sponsors and will facilitate a first class hospitality program for the race.
Email: jess.dahlgren@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 868
Andrew Ferguson - Head of Technology & New Media
Andrew now considers himself a veteran of the Volvo Ocean Race having worked on the last two events. Having worked in IT for almost ten years, he previously worked in the automotive industry before joining the race. For the 2008-09 event Andrew will again be looking after technology, and will also add the race's new media strategy to his responsibilities. In his spare time, Andrew is an active member of his hometown yacht club.
Email: andrew.ferguson@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 870
Polly Gough - Medical Coordinator
Polly joins the team as medical coordinator. Polly is a qualified nurse and health visitor and has worked in the health service in a variety of settings both in the UK and abroad. Polly has an interest in sailing and after retiring from competitive rowing gained her own experience of ocean racing competing in an amateur round the world yacht race in 2001.
Email: polly.gough@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 865
Reg Gratton - Communications Director
Reg returned from overseas to head up the Communications and Media team. After a journalism career which included postings for Reuters in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia, Reg joined the Olympics and held media management posts in the Sydney, Athens and Torino Games. His involvement in other major sporting events over the last 10 years included his last job, a two-year stint managing the media services for the Doha 2006 Asian Games.
Email: reg.gratton@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 833
Jessica Gray - Office Administrator
Jessica joins us as our Office Administrator and comes to us from Bournemouth University where she is currently studying in her 3rd year of Events Management BA (Hons). After her time with the race team finishes Jessica will return to university to finish her final year. Having grown up on the Isle of Wight Jessica has always had a love of sailing and other water sports and has previously worked as a beach lifeguard on the Island.
Email: jessica.gray@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 818
Lizzie (Green) Ward - Press Officer
Lizzie has been the press officer for the event for the last three races. She joined the race office in March 1997 after five years as managing director of a specialised marine picture agency and has worked on every Whitbread/Volvo race since the 1989-90 event. Lizzie runs the press and photographic part of the media operation and also edits the Volvo Ocean Race magazine.
Email: lizzie.ward@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 832
Mob: +44 7801 185 320
Rosie Julian - Operations Manager
Rosie joins the Operations team with 5 years experience in world class sailing event management under her belt. Most recently she was the Events and Marketing Manager at the Weymouth Portland National Sailing Academy, the Olympic sailing venue for London 2012. She has also roles with the Modern Pentathlon Association of Great Britain and BBC Natural History Unit. An all around athlete, Rosie enjoys running, triathlons, windsurfing, surfing and 3-day eventing
Email: rosie.julian@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 827
Mike Lewis - Financial Controller
Joining in September 2006, Mike qualified as an accountant whilst working for Zurich Insurance Company in 1997, he then spent the next nine years working in Bermuda. Mike returned to the UK in 2006 to join the race team. Mike's role is to deal with all financial matters for the race. In his spare time he can be found charging round the south coast in his pride and joy - a J24 racing boat.
Email: mike.lewis@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 824
Anders Lofgren - Director of Strategic Relationships
Anders joined the team just before the 2001-02 race to set up a ‘commercial department of one’, coming more or less directly from Thailand, where he was the head of Volvo Cars. Nowadays he is working side-by-side with George to find sponsors and suppliers for the race. In addition, licensing, merchandise and brand development are within his domain.
Email: anders.lofgren@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +46 31 669 109
Sarah Marriott - Associate Producer
Sarah is our associate television producer and she joined us full time having worked on the 2005-06 weekly television series for Sunset+Vine. An experienced sailor herself, Sarah can be found out on the water most weekends and regularly competes in national and international events. As well as producing all of the promotional footage for the 2008/09 race, Sarah also manages the extensive race video and picture library.
Email: sarah.marriott@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 858
Damien Sambrook - IT Project & Systems Adminstrator
Damien has an established IT career in the Computer Services industry as a systems engineer and then a senior technical consultant in the IT events arena. He joined the team in 2005. After a short sabbatical to Volvo Car UK following the end of the last race, Damien is back and looking forward to the challenge of 2008-09. Damien is an avid F1 fan and during the winter months you'll find him charging down a mountain on his snowboard.
Email: damien.sambrook@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 871
Tim Stonton - Picture Desk Manager
Tim is our race Picture Desk Manager and comes to us with a wealth of experience within the photographic and media world. Tim has spent the last 3 years working for onEdtion Photography, developing and managing their online media library and global distribution service. He is now looking forward to running the picture desk for the 2008/09 race and outside of work, making the most of all that the South Coast has to offer.
Email: tim.stonton@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 867
Jeremy Troughton - Planning and Operations Director
Joining the team in June 2004, 'JT' is no stranger to the sailing industry, having nine years of professional sailing under his belt, which includes skippering a boat 'the wrong way' around the world in the BT Global Challenge 2000-01. Previously he worked for Challenge Business as Operations Manager. For the 2005-06 race, Jeremy was Sailing Manager working alongside Andy Hindley, and for the next race he assumes the role of Planning and Operations Director.
Email: jeremy.troughton@volvooceanrace.org
Dir: +44 1489 554 820
