World Sailing appoints Director of Technical & Offshore

Carlos de Beltrán Gutiérrez

Carlos de Beltrán Gutiérrez has been appointed Director of Technical and Offshore for World Sailing. De Beltrán Gutiérrez joins the sport’s International Federation after 2.5 years working at the America’s Cup World Series events, the Challenger Series and the 35th America’s Cup Match as a measurer within the Measurement Committee.

Holding a Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering degree from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, the Spanish national also served as Chief Measurer for the M32 and RC44 Class Associations alongside his 35th America’s Cup commitments.

On his appointment, de Beltrán Gutiérrez commented, “Leading World Sailing’s Technical & Offshore team has always been a target for me in my career and I’m really looking forward to joining World Sailing and helping to advance our work in this area.

“It is an exciting time to be a part of our sport with technological advancements and evolution of boats. I have always enjoyed analysing different designs, ensuring there are efficiencies both on and off the water. But, at the same time, what really interests me is ensuring that there is fair racing, through thorough quality controls to guarantee a level playing field.

“The technical committees within World Sailing such as the Equipment Committee and Offshore and Oceanic Committee have done a lot of great work over recent years.

“There is a wide range of experienced personnel within the World Sailing Committee structure, many of whom I know well and I’m really looking forward to engaging with them and realising new ambitions to benefit the sport.”

In advance of his appointment to the 35th America’s Cup, de Beltrán Gutiérrez also served on the Measurement Committee for the 34th, 33rd and 32nd America’s Cup. Furthermore, he was the Equipment Inspector for the 2008-2009, 2011-12 and 2014-15 editions of the Volvo Ocean Race.

He has also worked in research and development for the Spanish Olympic Sailing and Canoeing teams at the Canal de Experiencias Hidrodinámicas de El Pardo (CEHIPAR).

World Sailing CEO Andy Hunt added, “Carlos brings an excellent range of experience and a strong reputation from within the professional side of Sailing. He will be an excellent addition to World Sailing, heading up a forward thinking Technical and Offshore team, ensuring World Sailing is at the forefront of technological advancements within the sport.

De Beltrán Gutiérrez will join World Sailing full-time in September 2017, taking the role previously held by Dr Jason Smithwick who is now the Director of Rating for IRC.

Source: Daniel Smith, World Sailing