SAILGP AND APEX GROUP EXTEND PARTNERSHIP TO KEEP DRIVING CHANGE ON AND OFF THE WATER
SailGP’s mission to push boundaries on the racecourse and beyond has received another major boost, with Apex Group committing to a three-season extension as the championship’s Official Financial Solutions Partner through 2028.
For fans, it means continuity, momentum and a deeper commitment to the values shaping SailGP’s future – from high-performance innovation to meaningful progress on gender equity and sustainability.
Since joining forces in 2023, SailGP and Apex Group have worked side by side to create real-world impact, with a shared focus on opening doors for women across sailing and beyond. Central to that work has been the launch of the SailGP Women’s Accelerator Program – the first of its kind in the league’s history.
Open to women across every corner of SailGP, from athletes and engineers to designers and marketers, the program is designed to tackle gender imbalance head-on by developing leadership skills, boosting representation at senior levels and supporting more inclusive decision-making. Since its launch, it has already helped create new pathways for women to thrive both on and off the water.
SailGP’s Managing Director Andrew Thompson said the partnership has helped challenge long-standing norms within the sport.
“We’re incredibly proud to extend our partnership with Apex Group for a further three seasons,” he said. “They were the first partner in our global championship to support our gender equity initiatives and we are excited to continue or work together to create meaningful pathways for women to thrive both on and off the water.”
Looking ahead, the expanded partnership will also see SailGP and Apex Group collaborate on new research into the barriers women face when entering traditionally male-dominated industries – and, crucially, how those barriers can be removed.
Apex Group CEO Peter Hughes said the next phase of the partnership builds on shared values that extend far beyond racing.
“Our partnership with SailGP is genuinely impactful, and looking forward to seeing what boundaries we can break together in the coming years,” he said. “We have always been aligned around a shared ethos of data-driven innovation, sustainability and gender equality. As we now expand our partnership to include Official Purpose Partner, we reinvigorate our commitment to drive positive change together.”
The partnership also plays out on the global stage. Apex Group remains title partner of SailGP’s return to Bermuda in 2026, with the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix set to take place on May 9–10. Behind the scenes, the Group will also support SailGP’s ESG reporting, helping the championship measure and reduce its carbon footprint as it works towards a 50 percent emissions reduction by 2030.
All of this progress continues as the racing heats up. The Rolex SailGP Championship 2026 Season heads to Auckland next weekend for the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix on February 14–15. Tickets are available now at SailGP.com/auckland.
