Keynote SpeakersDame Ellen MacArthur is a Record-Breaking Yachtswoman and inspirational keynote speaker.
Dame Ellen’s fascination with sailing started at just 4 when she began sailing with her aunt.
While at school, Ellen started saving her dinner money to hopefully one day buy a boat. At 13, she purchased her first boat/dinghy, ‘Threepenny Bit‘.
At the exceptionally young age of 18, Ellen achieved her RYA Yachtmaster and Instructor’s Ticket.
Ellen’s record-breaking career soon followed when she single-handedly sailed around Britain in her ‘Iduna’ boat. This achievement earned her the BT/JYA Young Sailor of the Year title.
Despite such promise, Ellen found it hard to attract sponsorship to take her career to the next stage. Out of 2,500 letters to potential sponsors, she received just two replies.
Eventually, Ellen raised enough money to buy a used 21ft Classe Mini.
She refitted the boat and raced it solo across the Atlantic in the 1997 Mini Transat Race, completing the 2,700-mile journey in 33 days.
This achievement brought sponsorship from the retail group Kingfisher. This funded her move to an Open 50 yacht, which she entered in the gruelling 1998 Route Du Rhum Race.
Ellen’s strong effort saw her finish first in her class and fifth overall. This led to her being named BT/JYA Yachtsman of the Year in the UK and Sailing’s Young Hope in France.
As a result, Kingfisher backed Ellen to the tune of £2 million to enter the 2000/01 Vendee Globe with a brand new Open 60 boat named ‘Kingfisher‘.
Those who had predicted that the 5ft slip of a girl would struggle against muscular male opponents were silenced as Ellen finished the challenge ahead of all of her male counterparts, bar one – making Ellen the fastest female and youngest sailor to race around the world solo, nonstop.
Dame Ellen MacArthur – Sailing Legend:
Her achievements as a record-breaking yachtswoman led to being nominated in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2001.
In November 2002, she tackled the gruelling Route du Rhum again, finishing first and breaking several records. She was the first woman to sail to victory in the race and captained the first monohull to cross the line, smashing the course record.
In 2003, she captained a round-the-world record attempt for a crewed yacht in ‘Kingfisher 2‘. Unfortunately, she had a setback by a broken mast in the Southern Ocean, 2000 miles from the coast of Australia.
In January 2004, her new yacht, ‘B&Q/Castorama‘ was unveiled. Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret designed this superyacht to help Ellen break solo records. The 75-foot trimaran was built in Australia, with many of the components specifically arranged to consider MacArthur’s 5’2” height.
In June 2004, Ellen sailed the ‘B&Q/Castorama’ from New York Bay to Lizard Point, Cornwall, in 7 days, 3 hours, 49 minutes, 57 seconds.
This set a new world record for a transatlantic crossing by women. Remarkably, Ellen beat the previous crewed record and the single-handed version.
Sailing Non-Stop Around The World:
On 28th November 2004, Ellen began her attempt to break the solo record for sailing non-stop around the world.
During her circumnavigation, she set records for the fastest solo voyage to the equator, past the Cape of Good Hope, past Cape Horn, and back to the equator again. She crossed the finishing line near the French coast at Ushant at 22:29 UTC on February 7th, 2005, beating the previous record set by French sailor Francis Joyon by 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes, and 49 seconds.
On her return to England on February 8th, 2005, it was announced that she was to be made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her achievement, becoming, it is believed, the youngest-ever recipient of this honour.
Dame Ellen MacArthur Motivational Speaker:
Known for her steely ambition, professionalism and unfaltering determination to succeed, Ellen’s story is not just about sailing but one of human endeavour. Her innovative thinking, goals, and success in overcoming countless challenges inspire audiences to make their innermost dreams come true!
Delivering a fireside chat, Dame Ellen MacArthur inspires, motivates, breaks down barriers, and encourages audiences to achieve their goals through stories of living the dream, overcoming incredible difficulties, digging deep into her emotional reserves, and finally achieving the impossible.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Economy:
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was established in 2010 to accelerate the transition to the circular economy.
Since its creation, the charity has emerged as a global thought leader. As a result, it has put the circular economy on the agenda of decision-makers across business, government, and academia.
