In Conversation with SailGP: Racing Towards a Sustainable Future.

Join us as we embark on a voyage into the world of sailing with Fiona Morgan, the Chief Purpose Officer at SailGP.

This captivating Pre-Zero Sports Talk Podcast episode explores SailGP's groundbreaking initiatives to revolutionize the sport while prioritizing sustainability and inclusivity.

Despite not hailing from a sailing background, Fiona's determination and passion shine through as she shares her journey of joining SailGP and shaping its vision for a more sustainable future.

Discover how SailGP sets new standards for sports leagues worldwide by providing opportunities for female athletes through its Women's Pathway, implementing sustainable logistics practices, and championing environmental stewardship.

Fiona delves into SailGP's pioneering strategies, including remote broadcasting, separate podiums for racing and sustainability, and remote umpiring and coaching.

Throughout the conversation, Fiona reveals her challenges as a woman entering a male-dominated sport and the broader impact of SailGP's sustainability efforts, which have attracted investments from notable figures like F1 star Sebastien Vettel. 

She emphasizes the need to rebrand sustainability to make it more approachable and engaging for broader audiences.

From sharing her favourite moments in SailGP to advocating for more outstanding education on climate change and environmental issues, Fiona's dedication to sustainability extends beyond SailGP. 

Tune in to learn how Fiona's optimism, determination, and innovative thinking drive SailGP's mission to redefine sailing and pave the way for a more sustainable future in sports.

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Transcript

Sid: 0:05

Hey, it's Sid Bensalah. Welcome to a captivating Pre-Zero Sports Talk podcast episode. Today, we're diving into a sport close to my heart, sailing. I've been navigating the waters since I was six years old, shaping my career around this thrilling sport. We're setting sail into uncharted waters as we delve into the thrilling sport of SailGP. Picture this. Cutting edge sailboats slicing through waves at a nerve wracking speeds powered by wind and a fierce commitment to sustainability. Our guest today is Fiona Morgan, the chief purpose officer at SailGP, and she's here to unveil the secrets behind SailGP's mission to be the world's most sustainable sports and entertainment platform.

Fiona: 0:49

we are the only sport in the world that is set up two podiums. So we have a podium for racing and we have a podium for the planet. That was because every business needs to redefine performance. It's not about profit, about winning about sport, it's about how do you use your sport for good. So how do you use our voice for good? How do we incentivize our athletes to care about, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, care about their carbon footprint? And so that has been a big part of the way we redefine sailing. We're redefining performance.

Sid: 1:18

Fiona joined SailGP in 2020 with a mission to make sustainability and inclusivity vital to the sport. She is the mastermind behind the SailGP Impact League, a world first initiative. Alongside the racing championship, teams have a second podium to compete for, which is the SailGP's podium for the planet. Fiona has an exceptional track record in shaping social impact strategies for some of the world's most high profile sports brands. Get ready to be captivated by the winds of change as we embark on a journey with SailGP racing towards a sustainable future. Before we dive in into the conversation, I want to mention that this episode was pre recorded last month, and during the recording I was recovering from a nasty flu, so my voice wasn't 100%. I hope you will enjoy this episode as much as I did. Fiona, it's a pleasure to have you with us today.

Fiona: 2:08

Hi Thank you for having me.

Sid: 2:10

The reason we invited you because we want to dispel myths about sailing and water sports, especially for those who may not be familiar with the sport. Sailing often gets labeled expensive, dull, complicated to follow and exclusive, but SailGP challenge those stereotypes. It stands out for its excellence in sailing and a solid commitment to community inclusion and sustainability. Furthermore, this global purpose driven sports. Entertainment League has emerged as a beacon of innovation, competition, and entertainment. Today we're excited to hear your insights and learn more about SailGP's positive impact on the sailing community and the environment. Thanks for being here and sharing your valuable perspectives with our audience.

Fiona: 2:52

Brilliant. Looking forward to dispelling these myths.

Sid: 2:54

Fiona, SailGP is truly powered by nature. Can you share how this motto reflects SailGP's dedication to sustainability?

Fiona: 3:02

Yeah, a hundred percent. So it's maybe worth going back. So SailGP, we're a new sport, so kind of a challenger sport, and we were set up to redefine sailing. So back to your myths, our whole kind of ethos from day one, like other sports, is we need to modernize our sport, you know, get new audiences, get new people into the sport, as well as look at the entertainment value of the sport and also the sustainability, how we're leaving a legacy in a good environmental environment. Impact where we race. So from day one, that's been three pillars of the business, sustainability, technology, and entertainment. And our boats are foiling boats. They're powered by nature. So people may be listening, might not be sailors. And I'm not a sailor, if you can believe I work in sailing and I am not a sailor at all, I'm Scottish, so I was a failed Tennis player, um, but worked in every sport, Golf, Cricket, Football. You name it Formula One, I've worked across them all and obviously it's a business. But what excited me is the authenticity. So sailors were powered by nature. The ocean is our racetrack and our boats foil 3. 8 times the wind. And we really believe that we're clean energy advocates because of our boat, the F 50's. Sounds like an F1 car, but it's an F50. That's our, our amazing foiling boats. They're powered by the wind and the oceans are racetracks. So we're incredibly, um, authentic and we really care. And our athletes and our race rely on the ocean and coastal ecosystems. And the wind. We rely on nature to be able to race. So we have this incredible kind of connectivity with what we do.

Sid: 4:44

And what initiatives, have SailGP undertaken to integrate clean energy into its racing events?

Fiona: 4:51

Where to start. So when our boats are powered by nature, we set ourself, a goal to be that champion of clean energy. So we look at, on the water. So obviously the racing, everything around the racing, the helicopters, the broadcast, the race marks, as well as onshore. So we look at two separate kind of entities of our event, and we have set targets by 2025 to have both of those areas powered by clean energy, powered by nature. We say at the event. We've done a really great job. So everywhere we race, we look at ensuring it's powered by clean energy. So that could be, it's mostly solar power, HVO, you know, biofuels, sometimes shore green power. But we really make sure we're more efficient than ever. We've reduced efficiency of how you operate the event. as well as looking at the energy sources to make sure, the old fashioned running events by diesel generators is not what we want. We want to look at that emissions. And we have carbon emission targets of every event. So we really know data. And when you know the data, you can measure it properly. Well, so you know that at the event, and actually in Dubai, we coincided with COP28 and we had the biggest ever solar array we could. And the reason we could do that is obviously Dubai is a, very big space. Some events are smaller on the water is a challenge. At our event, what we can control, half of our carbon footprint is on water. So although we talked about the, our F 50's are powered by nature, by the wind in sailing events and, and anyone who's not a sailor watch the Olympics. When you have that bird's eye view, it's the boats around. The boats, it's the kind of support fleet, the media boats, the hospitality boats, the race marshals. So that's our biggest problem because ultimately the marine industry is far behind automotive. There's no legislation telling us we need to electrify or, drive Net Zero on the water. So actually there's not technology out there. So we, I have a full-time, uh, innovation manager in my team from Formula E. And his whole job is how do you reduce the carbon footprint of on water? So we've done so much from making our own sustainable race marks that you don't need to tow out and they're solar powered. and that obviously reduces footprint and also it helps obviously, um, in the race operations. I think the big thing we've done on the water and there's a lot more to do, you know, we definitely haven't, cracked it all is we've looked at that footprint and we've reduced our on water fleet by 50%. So we've taken 50% of our boats off the water by just thinking differently. Sustainability is not always costly. It's actually efficient. So do we need seven media boats on the water with two media per boat? No, we don't. So working with Sir Russell Coutts, who's my boss, really looking at that, on water fleet and what can you do remotely? And that's been a really interesting part of our sustainability strategy, is we need to stop people traveling to events and we also need to stop having boats on the water. So what can we take remote? And we were the first sport in the world to do remote broadcast operations. We have a hundred people in linving in London, only about. 30 people on site. and we do our broadcast all from London and using the Oracle Cloud, obviously good connectivity and, I would say, you know, we were just voted the top 10, sport in technology globally. So we really lean on our brilliant partners there. We also do remote umpiring. Our umpires sit in London an umpire, and it actually makes it better. Poor Craig. He doesn't get attacked by the sailors'cause far away, but can make better decisions because he actually has better technology and better view from London. We've also started doing remote coaching, so we've actually taken the boats. The coaches are not on the water anymore. They sit kind of like the paddock in Formula One. They sit off on the pit lane, and they watch from the water again. Better screens, better connectivity, better view, better communication. And so all these changes on the waters help reduce our carbon footprint. I mean, I'm not talking big leaps. You know, we've reduced the on water fleet, the kind of carbon emissions last season by 13%, but every percent is better. So it's about kind of that mindset and innovation because you have to think differently and reduce the way you operate. So on the water is a big challenge. Onshore. We're doing a brilliant job of working with partners like Aggreko and EODev on hydrogen generators to really drive that change.

Sid: 8:59

And how do you see the, the power by nature approach influencing the broader sports and entertainment industry? And let's start with the sailing, community, all the examples and the, uh, the actions I. That and the results as well, that you, you getting, uh, does the International Sailing Federation use your examples to implement similar actions with other, sailing events?

Fiona: 9:21

A hundred percent. So we are, a special event in, the World's Sailing Special Event charter. And, you know, sustainability is not competitive. Sport is, sustainability isn't. So we publish yearly, uh, purpose and impact report, and we put all of our innovations. All of our learnings in there. And we also work a lot with World Sailing. Alexandra Rickham, who's the head of sustainability, we are very good friends and it's all about collaborating and sharing the learning. So things like our race marks, like we talked about, working with MarkSetBot, they're now being used in sailing events all over the world. We have a marine protection plan for obviously, um, where we race, we've published them, and again, other events are using them when they go to same location. So we definitely are seeing our, the way we operate. Helping other sailing events, but, but it's wider than sailing. You know, we have sustainability playbook, so we have a kind of sustainability event playbook of when you race, how do you, we talked about this, how do you run a sustainable event? So we have a playbook of how we do it, and we operate with an ISO management system and we leave that with the host venues. So I'm working a lot at the moment. We're about to race in New York. The New York Mayor's office is an, is got incredible green credentials and ambitions and love that we have this event playbook. So they want to publish that for every event that goes to York. So how can we at cell GP, from what we're trying to do, and we're not perfect. We're learning these things evolve. Every location's different, but, but leave that legacy and, and information because. I, again, I work a lot of boards in sports and I'm on social impact committees and sports dunno where to start. So they just bury their head in the sand. They say it's too difficult to be sustainable, it's too expensive. But if we can, as a sport that, that believe in it provides blueprints, toolkits easy things that they can help, you know, that that's our job. And that's, you know, we're very proud to kind of be that leader and help others and again, learn from others.

Sid: 11:15

And this playbook Fiona,, it's amended or updated, frequently?

Fiona: 11:19

Every day you've gotta evolve. Everything has to evolve because innovation changes, legislation changes, sustainability, materials change. So I think that's the thing with sustainability. You always have to be listening on it, evolving it, trying things, doing them differently. You know what works in Dubai doesn't work in Bermuda. What works in Copenhagen doesn't work, in, uh, in New York. So, working with that local host city, we work very closely with the tourism boards and the local sport councils to, and the local NGOs to understand where we're racing and, you know, cater our events to that. But, but we collaborate with other sports. Formula One, Formula E, Tennis, Cricket, Golf. We all talk in sustainability about what are we doing and how can we learn from each other.

Sid: 12:05

How big is the SailGP organization today?

Fiona: 12:09

A lot bigger than when I joined. I've been here three and a half years and we're nearly 200 full-time staff running the global league. And then obviously we, we uh, events can be 300, um, running the event. So that's a challenge'cause we need to reduce our staff and our travel and our kind of, the

sid_1_01-30-2024_132933: 12:26

And

Fiona: 12:26

we

sid_1_01-30-2024_132933: 12:26

that

Fiona: 12:27

So

fiona-morgan_2_01-30-2024_122933: 12:27

yeah,

Fiona: 12:28

it's

Sid: 12:29

sorry, and includes.

Fiona: 12:32

That's okay. Yes. That includes, well, the local host you mean the host city? No, that's just running the event. So people, you know, local event consultants. We try to hire local staff and local knowledge into our events. But yeah, so we've definitely grown and my challenge is always to the business and I sit on the leadership team is how do we grow sustainably?

Sid: 12:55

And how big is your team in charge of sustainability?

Fiona: 12:59

I know not big enough because I, I answer this question. Everyone in SailGP is in my team. And actually what I learned, I was at Sky before this, is I do have a core team. I have about five full-time, um, people that my team and I have a consultancy helping me on carbon reporting and ensuring we have the data. But my team is small, but actually what, what my team is, is we're a facilitator for the business. So actually, I would say my main stakeholders are the COO, the Commercial Director, the Host Cities, my athletes, and actually my job is embedding sustainable activities and actions and allowing them to operate sustainably. So. You really need to facilitate. You're the facilitator. They need to run the budget, they need to run the events clean, not me. It can't sit in a central team. So my whole job is embedding it into the organization and making sure they have, they're incentivized to reduce their carbon footprint to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion. And that's why, you know, is a great job because you work with. Every part of the business from, you know, today I have a new starter. Everybody starting at SailGP gets a purpose induction. They get a session with me and I talk about what we believe in and what they can do at SailGP to think differently and drive that change. So it really is a, a cultural, kind of a cultural thing as well as a business operation.

Sid: 14:16

That's great. And fona in shaping your sustainability initiatives and strategy, could you elaborate on the approach SailGP adopts, whether it is a bottom up or top down strategy.

Fiona: 14:28

Yeah, so I think, like I said, we started with three pillars and sustainability was always, um, part of that. We probably didn't know what we meant back in the day. And then I was hired and I. You know, kind of really looking at what SailGP role is, and again, sport has this incredible power, like this advocacy power. Also, you need to be credible, need to operate differently. So we did a big assessment of who we are, where we race, what influence do we have, and then we set our strategy based on that. So there is business, get your house in order, you know, we run sustainable events. There's stuff that is kind of due diligence, you know, you just have to be a good business, good governance, more inclusivity. And then it's one of the big things we can do as a sport to drive change. So we really talk about better sport, better planet. Better sport is, it isn't an inclusive sport. Sailing culturally, historically has not been inclusive. Even me being on management team was very, you know, I was a minority for a long time. Now we are 50/50, management team and actually driving, you know, inclusivity, different experience, different gender into sailing, behind the scenes and on the water. So we can kind of talk about, I suppose, female, our female athletes in a little bit, but better, better planet is about climate action. I didn't, you know, I, I strategically didn't just say it's all about the ocean.'cause actually the ocean is incredibly valuable. But actually people need to understand carbon and climate.'cause climate change is understanding that impact. And I wanted to look wider about how can SailGP be kind of a climate advocate, like a communication vehicle for explaining. How you travel, how you eat, you know what, what that value is and what, what the ocean does for climate. You know how it is a carbon sink, how you need to protect it. It's an organ. And then the other thing we really look at environment is redefining performance. So I suppose as a sport, and I'm sure you've read about it, but we are the only sport in the world that is set up two podiums. So we have a podium for racing and we have a podium for the planet. That was because every business needs to redefine performance. It's not about profit, about winning about sport, it's about how do you use your sport for good. So how do you use our voice for good? How do we incentivize our athletes to care about, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, care about their carbon footprint? And so that has been a big part of the way we redefine sailing. We're redefining performance. So really looking at that, and you have to do it. Believe in it and actually sit. Sport has power to communicate and engage fans and how can we use our global voice to do that in a credible way.

Sid: 17:03

Now SailGP League has a bold mission to be the world's most sustainable sports and entertainment platform. How does this mission drive the organization day-to-Day operations?

Fiona: 17:15

Yeah, I suppose. I don't think you'll ever meet a, you won't meet any other Chief Purpose Officers in sport at the moment. So even creating my team and my role was a commitment that I'm not sitting in a commun communications function. I'm not an operational function. My job, is at leadership level to be the person asking questions, challenging the way we operate, challenging who we hire, thinking about purpose. So it does drive everything we do, and it's a business strategy. And it's actually good for our business because we are growing exponentially because staff come here. 80% of our staff, we have incredible talent come because of purpose. They don't come for sailing. They come because we're a, kind of sport that wants to challenge the norm, shake things up, be the future, do things differently, as well as commercial partners. 70% of our commercial partners, our new partners are here working with my team, working on community engagement, climate action, gender equity. So it really is that, business strategy, and I suppose it's looking at it in a different way. It's not a nice to have, it's part of how we have to operate and it gives us a commercial edge. so it, it's that Unilever, I think people in sport are like, we need to be, you know, climate advocates. You do, but it can be good for business too. It's like marrying them both. And I think, you know, we were kind of debating that before. It's, it's showing the business value of doing good and having less impact.

Sid: 18:39

Fiona, you told me earlier that, uh, you are not from the community´´´´´´you're not a sailor, plus you are a woman. So coming to this league, SailGP, how was it at the beginning?

Fiona: 18:52

It was a bit of a leap of faith, right? Coming to work for an organization I didn't know, but, but what I loved is Sir Russell Coutts when I met him, his vision, I bought into the vision of starting a sport differently. It is the future of sport. It's showing you don't need to do sport like it did before. You can actually do it differently and you can have real positive legacy. And I think, not to quote Nelson Mandela, but. From my first ever job, I worked in Tennis for a tennis player and I ran her drug abuse foundation charity. I saw that sport is powerful vehicle and it needs to be used well and used right and, and probably we're in a world that it's being used in the wrong way in many instances, and I bought into his vision to, to use sport good and creating something from start is incredible. So you're there to form it. Even my team, my, my title, It's been a, it's been brilliant, a challenge, probably my most challenging job ever. I'm not gonna lie, it's a new sport. I'm a nons sailor I do think people thought, who is this woman coming in and telling us what to do? But very much, um, I feel very much part of the community now, and actually our athletes really care about sustainability. It wasn't a hard conversation. They're on the ocean. They have so many personal stories about what it means to them and how much they want protect it. And actually they've been my biggest advocates. They are, you know, the drivers of the teams. I'm speed dial to them. They talk to me all the time. They wanna win the impact league, but they also, they love that we're doing it differently and they're learning. They're always calling me. I mean, sailors call probably wouldn't believe I've had calls with like Jimmy Spithill about sustainable farming. I'm having debates, some of our drivers about the difference in carbon footprint of a business class, fly over economy. Like, why is that different? So it's been really fascinating. I've learned a lot. And I think sailing is this unique sport that can talk credibly climate. So no, it, it's been definitely a journey, but I, I think we've achieved a lot. always a lot more to do and we're not perfect, but very proud of what we've done today.

Sid: 20:56

You point out earlier about, diversity and inclusivity. let's talk about, uh, the first time when SailGP decided to, uh, include women within each team. Can you, elaborate on that? Fiona?

Fiona: 21:10

I can remember that moment. Well, to be honest, so my job, Chief Purpose Officer, so that actually looks across sustainability, holistically social and environmental. Because again, people get it wrong. They're interconnected, it's not one without the other. They have to work together and actually our strategy is, is holistic. So I make sure we get young people through our community engagement inspire program into sailing different diverse backgrounds. People that wouldn't even understand, being on the water or. to get into sailing as well as the elite level. And what I couldn't believe coming in is there's this huge gap. Experience gap in sailing. So it is like women driving an F1 car. Culturally, female athletes have not had the opportunity to get on an F 50 just because culture, just because male athletes have hired their friends and, and it was just, it was a cultural thing, so it didn't, there's no physical barriers why female athletes can't get on that boat. There's just about 15 years, 20 years experience gap. So when I came in, I really needed to understand. What it is working with Women World Sailing Trust and some great athletes, Hannah Mills, most decorated Olympian. You know, they, again, we're, we're a bit of a collective. We got together, we said, what are we gonna do? And we realized that actually we need to give time on the water. So we have a Women's Pathway Program and our job is to give our female athletes more time on the water so they can close that gap. That's my job. We're not a governing body, we're a sport. So we wanna kind of do what we can within our race window. Actually in Dubai. So the first time we got women on a boat was in Cádiz, and that was only two seasons ago. Doesn't that not seem mad? The first time a female athlete was racing on an F 50? Seems.

Sid: 22:51

2021?

Fiona: 22:52

Yeah. And Cádiz is so Cádiz, very windy day. I remember it well. I'm standing there with the female athletes. They look petrified the wind. It was an incredibly scary day to be in the water. But the first thing we said is, we're gotta do it. We've gotta close the gap, but we have to show that we can do it. We have to represent and be on those boats because young people, young kids, everywhere, you gotta see it to believe it. So that was the first kind of thing we did and, and you know. It was incredible and it was this moment when, you know, you see a female athlete on a boat and you think, of course it's possible. So everything from that, we've learned a lot. Female athletes are strategic strategists in positions, but other positions they can pick on the boat. There has to be one female athlete on board every boat at all times. And then we've built the pathway all the way down. So. First time in Dubai we had an all female train training camp. So that's giving female athletes, four hours of full training time to themselves on bow and working together. So again, that's fast tracking, you know, a huge amount of experience on the bow and I. I am working a lot with our, with some new teams coming in and some female athletes, and we will have a female driver within the next year. And that is a moment, that's like a woman driving an F1 car. We're gonna have a female, driver, but it's not about men and women. I think the thing is, it's not about having a female team or a male team. SailGP was always about inclusivity because like business sport is better. Our sport is better when you have the right people on the right boat. So we want kind of 50/50 or we want, you know, men and women on a boat together. We want people from different sports, different backgrounds together. So that is the future goal. We're looking at gender first, and we've done an incredible job. And we have athletes that. They are gonna be the next drivers ahead of, you know, because of performance and talent, not because we're putting them on there because they have got the experience and got the braveness and got the talent to get on these F50's. So that's incredible and I, I think we've got the biggest opportunity in sport globally to kind of crash into that, gender balance ceiling. So that's something I'm, I'm very proud of and watch this space the next season.

Sid: 24:59

What you guys have done It's absolutely mind blowing and I hope that this will motivate, uh, young girls, uh, everywhere in the world to join the sports, uh,

Fiona: 25:09

I hope so. I hope so. And I do, I do get on calls and people email me and, and say, we saw SailGP and now we believe it's possible. Now we believe sailing. For me, it's racing. It's fun, you know? These women are like fierce, incredible athletes. And I think you're right. Like you said, it inspires others. So I really hope we do, and there's more to do. There's a lot more to do, but we're committed to do it and you gotta take your time and do it in the right way.

Sid: 25:36

SailGP races for impact and innovation. Could you, highlight some impactful projects or partnership that have emerged from this unique approach?

Fiona: 25:45

Yeah, I think we've talked about quite a few of the, the projects, but probably one I'm, I'm really proud of is logistics. So of course we're a global sport. We have to ship everything around the world, which is a challenge. I. And it's a big part of your carbon footprint. shipping is 60% of the emissions worldwide. I mean, everything gets shipped. So people forget that, you know, as a consumer, you're buying everything and actually has to come from somewhere. So we work from day one with Kuehne Nagel, who's our logistics supplier, about how do we actually look at it differently and, um, look at sustainable logistics. So we have an incredible tool called Sea Explorer, where as we plan the calendar, we look at the most sustainable routes around the world for our boats. we have no air freight. We don't air freight, any equipment. It's all sea or road. only air freight if we have a crash, which we have a few, too many of them, and we have to have spare parts, flown around. But, um, and we also look at biofuels like in setting, how, like, what can you do to reduce the emissions? And I suppose again, the containers that you ship around the world. So last season I think it was over 80%. We, we reduced our emissions, um, as a sport. And that's showing. You have challenges in your life or in your sport or running your business, but instead of hiding and pretending they're great, you gotta lean in with the right partner and look at the challenge and figure out how you resolve that. So Sustainable Logistics has been an incredible partnership for us and we've definitely learned a lot and we've got some big ideas in the future about how we can kind of change the whole logistics the way sport looks at logistics.

Sid: 27:15

yeah. Uh, last year. F1 icon like Sebastian Vettel expressing enthusiasm for SailGP, recognizing the parallels between the sports and Formula one Citing both the fascination, with the high speeds on water and SailGP commitment to setting new sustainability standards, in sports. Could this collaboration boost interest and engagement within the sport of sailing?

Fiona: 27:38

Hundred percent. So what was so great is Sebastian invested in SailGP and obviously he was, uh, one of the investors with Thomas Riedel in our German Team. Because of sustainability, he could invest in any sport. He's so committed and loves what we're trying to do in sustainability. So that just shows, like you said, as an athlete, how he wants to use his power for good. So of course he's come to two races, we're working with him. How do we kind of use his platform to tell our story in a incredible way? And so, yeah, I think that that is great. And it's brilliant that SailGP has in. We're selling our teams. So having these new investors coming into the sport to make it better, to make us think differently, to kind of challenge us, you know, our US team, we have one of the Uber engineers, the founder of Uber, come in to own American team. And again, that thinking, that different thinking into our league again, shakes up that redefining sailing. So, so, no, it's, it's really interesting. And again, that cross sport collaboration is important and we can all learn from each other. I think if people sit here in sustainability and say they know all, like that's the problem. Like, none of us know what we're doing. We all need to share, collaborate, try things out, you know, uh, do it together. And so that's what's so great about these investors and collaborations that we have.

Sid: 28:55

Given that there is no single solution or silver bullet to eliminate carbon emissions, how does SailGP manage, how do you manage the delicate balance between sustainability and delivering an exceptional show at each event throughout the season?

Fiona: 29:10

I think that's the challenge, isn't it? That's the challenge about, you don't want sustainability to make the product bad, but you want sustainability to be part of your story and part of the way you operate. So. It's, it's embedding it in the way that you operate an event. So for my event team, you have to run a clean energy event. That's just what you have to do. That is the event we run. So it's kind of that mindset shift of setting guidelines and targets. Like, you know, like the no-go, and no single use plastic. Look at waste management. We have, plant-based diet, in most of our hospitality tenders. So. It's that kind of setting the targets and then operating that way. it is challenging and I suppose my biggest advice for people in sport is you have to understand your emissions because you can't manage what you don't measure. So you have to know your carbon footprint ever in the world should go as a person. You should go and WWF or a certain site, look at your footprint because. That is key. Understand what your footprint is and what changes you can make. So we know all of our scopes. I'm about to take my leadership team tonight through our season four kind of carbon six month check-in. So we're looking at our carbon data and saying, where are we doing well? Are we against target? What do we need to change? And taking this seriously, it's really important that everyone takes it seriously and understands one decision. One budget they make has a carbon implication, like, you know, kind of we're the PR agency for carbon and then making better decisions, so, so yeah, I think it's about leaning in, understanding the data, using it, and making better decisions. You're never gonna make the perfect decisions, but make a better decision.

Sid: 30:50

How do you measure your CO2? do you have a particular methodology or metrics that you use?

Fiona: 30:55

We have lots. So what we try to do is, um, actual data. So all of our suppliers, we act, depending on what they do, we ask them to give us the right data that we can report against. So we work with the UN, so Climate Neutral Now we, um, submit our footprint and. Not only athletes can win gold medals, we got three gold medals for Measure, Reduce, and obviously, Compensate Offset. And so we tried to get the actual carbon data from suppliers, our travel company, they actually give us a report, a carbon report of the, the CO2 emissions of our flights and accommodations from that, um, carrier. And then where we can't do, we use financial coefficients. Which actually is not always great. You gotta have the right data. But, um, we're getting better season on season. Um, even some of our suppliers give us a carbon neutral service. So like in logistics, we ask Kuehne Nagel to take responsibility for the logistics before it delivers it to sell G. So again, your supply chain where you spend money is so important. So how do you do that differently? and that's how we look at our carbon footprint. Um, based on that.

Sid: 31:59

when you get your data, I believe on a yearly base or event,

Fiona: 32:03

We do event by event. We look at our footprint, so we're always checking our data.

Sid: 32:07

Event, per event, now you have the data in front of you and you want to implement changes or instruct the decision makers either to invest further or, um, all the stakeholders involved within the, sports,

Fiona: 32:22

Yeah. Event directors or, yeah.

Sid: 32:25

yeah. Is it, uh, an easy, task ask or you have to keep fighting all the time.

Fiona: 32:34

I think, um, my role is about changing people's behaviors, right? And mindset. So. Nothing good is easy. Um, I think it's about showing value. So no, sometimes it is easy. Sometimes again, it's personalities. People are climate believers. Some people are still climate deniers, so depending on. Where you are and what stakeholders. Sometimes it is really easy and, and they're on the climate journey and they see the value. Sometimes takes longer, but I suppose that's my job, is really spending time with people to make them see the value and, and what their role is in climate. So, yeah, you know, my, my job is showing the value and, and yeah, of fight sometimes, but you need someone who's gonna have a good fight. I'm definitely, trying to do things differently and trying to show the business value and people cannot argue with data. I cannot argue with carbon and look around you every year. Extreme weather, people are seeing climate and actually I think people are feeling more personally connected to climate change. So when you're saying to an event director, if you make that decision, you're gonna go double your carbon footprint. Do you understand what that means for the world? What that means. And there's a price to that. There's a cost involved as well. And so we kind of also incentivize by publishing. So we say your event be the worst, biggest carbon footprint event of the whole season. Do you really want that? I'm not sure you want that. So again, it's like really kind of working, you know, working, uh, working it through.

Sid: 33:58

What level of sustainability is integrated into the manufacturing process of SailGP' racing boats,

Fiona: 34:03

Yeah, that's one of the things, obviously, you know, you'll know, but people probably don't know. We bought the boats, so they're kind of recycled boats that we've modified. And we've just moved our boat builder from New Zealand to the UK and so that's a whole new work stream of like when we modify the boats, what materials, how do we look at more sustainable materials. We're looking at a lifecycle and LCA, like the LCA of the, of the F 50. But we're also working with sports Formula One. Works with carbon fiber, Tennis, works with carbon fiber. So we're actually cycling, we're actually kind of looking at the materials in a kind of more holistic way in sport. Like how do we change the materials we're using? And then when we are at modifying our F 50 boats, how do we use better materials, you know, more sustainable materials. So it's probably, something we need to do more of, but, but something as we modify and when we do update the boats, that's when can make a big kind of change into the F 50. But the athletes. Part of the Impact you're making small material changes all the time. So we have, Cly are on the boat, which is single, each plastic you know. So they're always to reduce materials they get points in the Impact league. So we have made, I suppose small material changes the boats, but we do need to, as we update the boats, make bigger changes.

Sid: 35:17

Yeah. Fiona, when it comes to awarding an event to a city or a host venue, are there specific criteria related to sustainability that potential, local host must adhere to or that they can meet?

Fiona: 35:30

Yeah, so there's two things. my team do, like with commercial partners, we do kind of due diligence. So we have Host City Purpose Scores. So my team, we look at the calendar, where are we gonna race? do a score looking at. Um, everything from human rights to clean energy. You know, we look at everything in that city and we say, right, it comes out with a percentage score. Um, and it's not just about good and bad. It's about when we go there, what's the opportunity? What's the watch out? What would the carbon footprint of an event be?'cause again, we've gotta look at our season together. So it's having the data to make a more informed decision. So we do, we definitely do that. When we work with city, um, at the moment with CDP, obviously Carbon Disclosure, Project who are one of our core partners and we were the first sport to disclose with them. We got a B minus, which Russell, my boss doesn't think is good, but in the sustainability world, he doesn't realize first to disclose. pretty good. Um, we work with them to do a host city charter, so it's kind of a document with that host city saying you need to care like we do about climate action. You know. If you haven't got a net zero target, please can you set one with CDP? So kind of linking CDP and C 40 cities into that host city. So, you know, we can't make cities do anything. Our job is to influence and try and get them to be more sustainable. So as part of that charter, it's climate as well as social sustainability. So we ask about their d and i strategy, um, as well, um, as part of of where we race. So that definitely is part of our decision making.

Sid: 37:00

Just for our audience, Russell Coutts, he's the PELE, he's the, uh, Roger Federer. the, uh, um, So he's a superstar within sailing sport

Fiona: 37:11

Yeah. I didn't know that he was famous when I first met him. I should have Googled him. But yeah, no, he is like the, like the mecca, like you said, the mega sailor, you legendary built sport, five time America's Cup winner. But he's also a huge champion for the environment and sustainability and being an incredible advocate, supporting me in my role. I couldn't do my job without his support.

Sid: 37:34

Hmm. What's your, uh, perspective on the involvement of fossil fuel companies in the sports industry through advertising and sponsorship?

Fiona: 37:42

Yeah, so sport's biggest challenge is, um, commercial. So, you know, sport as sector has been set up probably with sponsors who have come very fossil fuel emitting areas, and actually how do we evolve that? So commercial directors and people like me need to work closer together to think about who are the right partners to work with. I think. Each sport and I can't for other sports, has to have their no GOs. Like who would you not work with? You know, we're power by nature. So for us, we want to work with partners that align to that. Who would you who you know? But it brings opportunity, you know, like you said, everyone goes to, who wouldn't you work with? But actually clean energy, huge new sector. It opens up all these new companies to work with. So trying to like be involved in commercial conversations. Explain the impacts of doing ex sponsorship. And explain why that's not kind of gonna work for you, but then look at the opportunities. So it's definitely not black and white, and that's what people, you know. To be honest, a lot of sports are not working on this because of the commercial issues, because they're wired that it'll affect commercially. So we need to make sure that they can go together and we can actually make revenue, work with sponsors, solve problems, but do it in the right way. So it's definitely a challenge, but one that you need to be open to. And I would say the commercial team, I've upskilled them in three years. I'm, I'm on every deal review committee. I'm in every discussion because I'm like, I wanna know what you're doing and who with, because it's got a reputational implication and it's got a carbon footprint. So it's embedding into these decisions and into these teams and informing them of what's a good and bad decision and, and maybe I won't always win, but I'll try and win more than I lose.

Sid: 39:26

Thanks. Now it's time for the lightning questions. Are you ready for speedy Q&A?

Fiona: 39:33

Excited, speedy

Sid: 39:34

I had the first one ready for you, but since you mentioned that you are not sailor, but I, I will ask you that. I would.

Fiona: 39:45

Oh, if I could sail, where would I be? That is a great question. I'm gonna have to answer it in a place that I don't even know has got good wind. But I am, one of my favorite places in the world is Muscat in Oman, and so I would sail in Oman because it's got a piece of my heart. My parents live there and it's just one of my favorite places on on earth. So I'm gonna pick Muscat. I hope there's good wind.

Sid: 40:06

I agree with you. I used to organize back when I was based in Dubai, the Dubai Muscat Race, It was a fantastic event through, uh, strait of Hormuz I fully agree with you.

Fiona: 40:17

brilliant. So that was a good answer from a non sailor. sailor

Sid: 40:19

Yes, absolutely. What's your favorite sailing memory or moments from SailGP's events?

Fiona: 40:25

I've got two favorite memories. One in Dubai. I sat, I was on a chase boat watching the first ever female, all female training session. a That was a moment in history. For sale GP and for women's foiling. And second one was the Impact League. The first season when Sylvia Earle Dr. Sylvia Earle, who's a sustainability queen, she gave our first Impact League winners, the New Zealand team, that trophy, and that was the first podium for the planet. You know, that's an iconic moment. The first time in sport, someone's cared about their athletes being sustainable. So probably two. Two of my favorite moments.

Sid: 41:00

As a Chief purpose officer, what aspects of SailGP's mission resonates with you?

Fiona: 41:07

I think just the whole mindset of doing things differently. You know, the braveness of not being scared to fail, you know, not being scared to, to, to try and impact league, to, you know, get our female athletes on F 50, like that, that braveness resonates with me and that opportunity to use sports to make things better.

Sid: 41:29

What is the one thing you wish everyone knew about sustainability?

Fiona: 41:34

It is actually not as hard as you think it can be fun. It can, it's got huge opportunities and huge efficiencies. So I think sustainability needs a rebrand. That's why I'm called the Chief Officer, chief Sustainability Officer, because I think people run a mile when they hear sustainability.'cause it sounds expensive and scary. And like you said, misunderstood. You know, it's, it's complicated. But actually sustainability is about doing things differently and having, um, more informed decision making. So thinking, do I take a plastic bottle? What, what would that do or do I have a reusable, like just understanding and making a better choice, but being educated on what that choice is. So it's just changing mindsets. It's really not, we're not expecting people to be scientists. I think, again, it's like you said, it needs a sustainability, needs a rebrand and a new comms agency. So it is, it is good. Sustainability is fun, good and easy.

Sid: 42:29

On that point, Fiona, do you think we are doing quite uh, enough within the school curriculum when it comes to sustainability?

Fiona: 42:36

At all. I, I don't think we are. I mean, I'm talking in the uk so I have two who are seven in year three, and it, it, it, I, it is mind boggling that they don't learn about climate change or environment in, in school, which is the biggest risk and the biggest part that's gonna play in their life. And they're learning about things, you know, that are so irrelevant. So no, I don't think we're embedding it in, um, in education or in young people or universities. I think it's a life skill, and this is something that unfortunately we've done or. Other, you know, kind of, um, eras have done and these people are gonna have to live in it, so they need to understand it. So, no, I don't think we're doing enough to educate on climate change. Um, and again, that's where sport or fashion, we can infiltrate people differently. So we can kind of educate them on carbon. But through sport or in fashion, people can educate people on water usage using genes. So how can sectors use their power to educate young people? Um, but what is quite sad is I work with schools quite a lot, um, and young people. And the other day I spoke on a big panel. A lot of young people have climate anxiety. So young people feel really hopeless and they, and they don't understand it. They're not educated and they just hear the news. It's all difficult, it's all, you know, expensive politics and yeah, there's a lot of climate anxiety. So yeah, young people, I am worried about young people and I, I hope that sport can help bring some optimism and, and hope to young people and help engage in the issue. Um, but no, not doing enough in education.

Sid: 44:08

What book, movie or documentary do you recommend for people on sustainability?

Fiona: 44:13

There's so many actually good ones. Um, I love this book and it's a bit geeky. Um, How Bad are Bananas? So How Bad Are Bananas is this brilliant book and I've got it in the office and it talks about the carbon footprint of, of everything from an avocado to banana to like Oat Milk versus, you know, coconut milk. And again, it's that kind of like. Um, relating carbon so people can see it and understanding why that carbon footprint. So like why is an avocado bad? So I love that book, but there's so many, um, on like how to be a purpose bus, you know, driven leader if you work in business. I would read some of the more business purpose sustainability books that, that. Talk about why it's important and actually the business value it has. But if you're a person read, how Bad Are Bananas? Because it's one of my favorite books. Bit geeky, but have in your kitchen's a bit of fun. Bit of trivia.

Sid: 45:04

One piece of good advice for the listeners on any topic.

Fiona: 45:10

That's a big question. Um, a bit of advice. opt, stay optimistic. I, I suppose. I am a optimist. I, I mean, that's just how I was born. But I do, we've gotta stay hopeful. My, my daughter's middle name's hope, and I think we all need to stay hopeful. We can't lose hope, be optimistic, think differently, be kind to people. Yeah. Look at life in a good way.

Sid: 45:37

Fiona, thank you very much for your time. Speaking to you has been great.

Fiona: 45:42

Oh,

Sid: 45:42

and

Fiona: 45:42

thank so much Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Sid: 45:46

I really enjoyed my conversation with Fiona. Within just an hour, it was evident that she possesses an unwavering resolve, a genuine passion, and a deep commitment to her role as a Chief Purpose Officer at SailGP. despite her background, not being in sailing, she fearlessly embraced the challenge of working for a company at the forefront of transforming the sport. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Fiona Morgan for joining us today and sharing invaluable insights into SailGP's mission and vision. Witnessing how the world of sports can lead the charge in sustainable practices is inspiring To our listeners. Thank you for tuning in and being a part of this insightful discussion. Don't forget to subscribe to stay updated on future episodes featuring engaging conversations with industry leaders. Your continued engagement fuels our enthusiasm for delivering high quality content. Until next time, stay tuned, stay inspired, and let's continue sailing towards a more sustainable future together.