London Business School sets sail with the Clipper 2025/26 round the world yacht race
A unique brand partnership that explores leadership, resilience, and teamwork
Gunwharf Quay, Portsmouth Harbour was the backdrop for the start of the 2025/26 Clipper Round The World Race on Sunday 31 August 2025, an eleven-month endurance ocean race founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world.
London Business School (LBS) is proud to support and sponsor the race as a Team and Education partner, marking the first time an academic institution has aligned with this prestigious race. The school’s impressive 70ft branded yacht, aptly named Team London Business School, joined a fleet of Clippers, to embark on the opening stage of a momentous 40,000-nautical-mile race across six continents and some of the world’s most challenging oceans.
Now in its 14th year, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race stands as a compelling metaphor for leadership, resilience, and collaboration. The race resonates deeply with London Business School’s mission to shape how the world does business. The race is renowned as a test of both mental and physical endurance, bringing together non-professional sailors from diverse backgrounds who must adapt under pressure, build trust, and perform as a cohesive, high-achieving team.
This year’s race will be split between eight legs, stopping in ports including; Puerto Sherry (Spain), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Cape Town (South Africa), Fremantle and Airlie Beach (Australia), Subic Bay (Philippines), Qingdao (China), Tongyeong City (Korea), Seattle (USA), Panama, Washington, DC (USA) and Oban (UK) before returning to Portsmouth (UK) next summer.
“At London Business School, we are proud to partner with the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, an extraordinary test of leadership and teamwork. The race highlights the unpredictability of the ocean and the strength that comes from preparation, collaboration, and trust in your crew. These qualities mirror the values we champion at LBS. As an RNLI volunteer, I am particularly proud of this partnership, which reflects the same commitment to teamwork and leadership that lies at the heart of both successful sailing and business,” said Graham Hastie, Associate Dean, Degree Education at London Business School.
The Team London Business School yacht will be led by professional skipper Gav Rees, supported by First Mate Zoe Longley. Rees combines decades of sailing expertise with a career in business leadership, making him an ideal for the school’s ethos. For Rees, skippering the Clipper race represents not only the fulfilment of a childhood dream, sparked by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s historic Golden Globe victory, but as an opportunity to push his leadership skills further.
“I am absolutely delighted for my team to be partnered with London Business School,” said Rees. “For over 20 years, I have combined my sailing and corporate career and the leadership and people skills in both fields complement each other. One of my motivations for skippering this race is to further test and develop my leadership skills in a highly pressured environment. I’m excited to work with LBS and to mentor Zoe as she develops her own leadership style in the months ahead.”
“As our crew prepares to embark on this extraordinary maritime journey, our whole community is excited to follow their progress,” added Graham Hastie. “We look forward to hearing the stories they bring back, what they discover about themselves, about each other, and about leadership in its truest form.”
From its flagship MBA to the Executive MBA (EMBA), the Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy, and a wide portfolio of executive education programmes, London Business School equips leaders at every stage of their careers to navigate complexity with confidence. These programmes attract talented professionals and senior executives from across the globe who are seeking to strengthen their leadership, resilience, and ability to thrive in unpredictable environments – qualities that lie at the very heart of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
With a presence in London, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia, London Business School has a truly global outlook. Its students, drawn from over 130 countries, are encouraged to push boundaries and lead with purpose, similar values that mirror the demands of the Clipper race. The school’s network of 56,000 alumni, spanning more than 150 countries, continues to influence businesses and communities around the world.