London, UK – 5 December, 2011: Fresh from capturing his third ISAF Match Racing World Championship crown, Ian Williams deserves all the plaudits he receives. His heroics at the season ending finale, the Monsoon Cup, have propelled him into the esteemed company of Russell Coutts, Chris Dickson, Peter Gilmour and Ed Baird as a skipper who has won at least three world titles. Williams though would be the first to acknowledge not only the great team of sailors behind him but also a committed sponsor partner that has backed his championship quest.    

We caught up with Andrew Pindar OBE, Team GAC Pindar’s Principle and GAC Partner to find out why he backs Williams and the World Match Racing Tour.  

Pindar has a rich history in sailing. Tell us a bit more about the tie-in with GAC.

The Pindar name has been involved in sailing for 32 years now but Pindar, in terms of a printing and communications company, doesn’t sponsor Ian Williams. Today, it’s GAC Pindar which is a start-up venture in the world of yachting logistics. It works because GAC isn’t a yachting brand, it’s a global logistics and shipping business. The link up with Pindar offers a route to market.

What does the Tour specifically offer GAC Pindar?

We’re interested in the sport of sailing, we’re interested in the World Match Racing Tour and we’re interested in Ian Williams. Together they create a bundle that allows us to promote GAC Pindar’s name and services in the markets we operate in.
The Tour goes to destinations where our customers and prospective customers will become more aware of our services via our partnership with the series. The marine leisure industry is key to us and you only have to look at the massive sailing boom in Asia to see the appeal there. The Tour gives us exposure in that market by going to Malaysia and Korea. Equally, the Tour gives us valuable exposure in North America via the Gold Cup in Bermuda and throughout Europe. They are all key markets to GAC Pindar. 

Why Ian Williams and not another skipper?

Another key facet of our team sponsorship is internal employee engagement and Ian is perfect for delivering that. So when Ian won the Monsoon Cup and his third world title, he didn’t go home, he went to Dubai for a week. There, he met GAC employees to educate them about sailing and this new partnership. He also went to yacht clubs such as the Dubai Marina Club where people were fascinated, whether they liked sailing or motorboats, by meeting a World Champion. Ian didn’t win by fluke, he won well, deserved it and showed he’s the best in the world at match racing. People love that.

Do you share in the future vision of the Tour?

We believe in Ian and we believe in the World Match Racing Tour’s vision. There is more space in the calendar for an increased number of events and the Monsoon Cup is a great model as to what they should look like. Any sports event needs to offer sideshows to ensure a cross section of people are attracted to it. If you go to the Epsom Derby, it’s the side shows that help make it a great day out not just the horseracing. The Monsoon Cup proves it and so the Tour is rightly building multi-faceted events around their match racing regattas.