His results to date have earned him a place in the premier league, one of the most respected sailors on the circuit as well as one of the kings of the Class 40. So for Sharp the next step is obvious: the Vendée Globe.
No matter what it takes to succeed he will be able to deliver. And it’s not just sheer will and talent, skills and preparedness that make the difference. Phil Sharp also airs this positivity and seemingly endless energy only true champions have. He is the one you can always count on.
Sharp’s reaction to the mainsail crisis, which would have undoubtedly aborted the race of lesser skipper, encapsulates his conduct throughout the entirety of the race: courageous, innovative, relentless.
KEY MEMBERS
Phil is a world-class skipper with 25 ocean racing podiums to his name. He is a double Class40 Champion and 3x World Speed Record breaker. Passionate about innovation and the environment, Phil is a specialist in composites and hydrogen energy solutions, and has led the development of a marinised hydrogen fuel cell capable of decarbonising vessels.
Driven by variation, creation, and growth, Rebecca has led the business development and marketing of several zero emission ocean racing campaigns, and today manages the campaign strategy, in addition to human resource and rights-holder agreements. As CEO of Genevos, a cleantech company developing zero emission Hydrogen Power Modules to decarbonise vessels, Rebecca brings her passion for ocean protection.
With over 15 years of experience in developing and managing partnerships in communications and media, Stéphanie decided in 2015 to return to her passion, sailing, and specialised in the world of ocean racing. An amateur racer in the Mini 6.50 and Figaro (Transat AG2R 2016), she has notably managed an entry in the Mini Transat, managed sports projects and managed corporate sponsorship.
After nearly 10 years spent in Australia in M&A consulting, Sébastien returned to live in France with his family and joined a software publisher based in La Rochelle as CFO.
Sébastien is passionate about sailing and notably set up a project to participate in the Sydney Hobart 2012 with a Figaro team where he finished 2nd in his category.
Sébastien is passionate about sailing and notably set up a project to participate in the Sydney Hobart 2012 with a Figaro team where he finished 2nd in his category.
Antoine is a naval architect, engineer and sailor with an experience in boat design and development in IMOCAs, Ultimes, and sustainable race boats, including the design and construction management of a high performance, low-footprint Mini Transat race boat built from bamboo-PET composite materials.
Robin is a professional rigger and has competed in many of the toughest ocean races including the Solitaire du Figaro, The Transat, Mini Transat and Route du Rhum. He brings strong campaign and diverse technical and logistics management experience to the OceansLab, managing the boat preparation team to ensure the highest of performance and reliability standards.
ADVISORS
Hugues is a passionate sailor and an experienced leader having successfully grown businesses rapidly with innovative strategies for Fortune 500 companies through a wide variety of sectors including marine, materials, energy and software.
At just 27 years old Will skippered an entry in the the BT Global Challenge round the world race. Highly experienced in professional development, he works alongside Phil Sharp to develop and deliver bespoke internal L&D programmes and keynote speaking to partners.
An experienced General Manager and Chief Financial Officer for global companies with a demonstrated history of working in the energy solutions industry across Asia and Europe. Xavier is skilled in Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, Managerial Finance, and Business Development.
PATRONS
Nigel is Dean of Engineering at Imperial College, Director of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Supergen Hub, and Co-Directors at both Energy Super Store Hub and the Sustainable Gas Institute. He is a specialist in hydrogen fuel cell technology and continues to be an invaluable asset to OceansLab clean energy innovations.
Pierre spent his early career as an Aeronautical Engineer on the early Concorde Development programme, after which he held senior posts in Jersey’s Parliament for 27 years. As Chairman of the fund raising and organising committee, he led a Jersey entry in the Clipper Ventures round the world race to a highly successful 1st and 2nd place.
Gordon has won Channel Islands, British and European Championships in both surfing and sailing, also representing Britain at European and World events in these disciplines. Gordon’s significant contributions to sailing events have been recognised with the Jersey Sport Lifetime Achievement Award.
“The OceansLab – Race to Zero Emissions campaign enabled Edilians to partner with an winning ocean racing team uniquely focussed on the environment. At Edilians we endeavour to develop sustainable roofing solutions to benefit our clients and our planet, drawing strong parallels with OceansLab clean energy innovations achieved through passion, collaboration and determination.
“As a partner of the project we were able to develop many success stories through the ocean races and innovations, which improved workforce pride and excitement amongst our teams. What’s more, VIP sailing enabled us to develop client relations through unique long-lasting memories.
“Supporting Phil Sharp, his outstanding accolades, the Lab’s innovations and the team’s commitment to advancing renewable energy on the ocean has been inspirational to all involved and we are very proud to have been part of this journey.”
Pierre Jonnard, President of Edilians Group, Jan 2020