Melissa Payne appointed Chief Executive Officer (Media) for the two round-the-world sailing events, the 2022 Golden Globe and 2023 Ocean Globe Races.
The Golden Globe Race currently has 28 entrants from 11 countries and the Ocean Globe Race 26 entrants from 17 countries.
Don McIntyre founder of the OGR and GGR made the announcement at the new permanent office in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
Payne, former senior IMG executive who left IMG last year after 20 years, was previously Vice President, Head of Technical Services and also Head of Sailing/ Nautical Sports at IMG Media. During her time at IMG, she worked on two America’s Cups, the World Match Racing Tour, Extreme Sailing Series, the Volvo Ocean Race and the H20 series.
Her new role will oversee all media requirements for the two events, including sponsorship, media sales, production and distribution. She is currently in the process of assembling an experienced team, to work across both events.
The GGR starts in Sept 2022 and the OGR in Aug 2023 – marking the 50th anniversary of the original Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race.
Payne joins three other key personnel, Sebastien Delasnerie (Joint Media Director), Aida Valceanu (Public Relations and Major Events OGR) and Jane Zhou ( Finance and Admin).
The Golden Globe Race is the original round the world yacht race, where, in 1968, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the only sailor to complete the first, solo, non-stop, round-the-world sailing race.
In 2018, in celebration of 50 years since that first record-breaking achievement, the Golden Globe Race was resurrected. It returns again in September 2022 from Les Sables d’Olonne.
The Ocean Globe Race is a fully crewed, retro race, in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread round-the-world Race and marks the 50th Anniversary of the original event.
Starting in Europe in September 2023, the OGR is a 27,000-mile sprint around the Globe. Encompassing four legs, which take in the Southern Ocean and three great Capes.
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