Change at the Helm of Irish Sailing

New Irish Sailing CEO, Tim Bourke © Irish Sailing

The Board of Irish Sailing, the national governing body for sailing, powerboating and windsurfing, are delighted to commence the New Year with the appointment of their new CEO, Tim Bourke.

Tim is well regarded in both business and sailing circles, bringing a discerning blend of commercial and sporting experience, to lead the organisation.

Tim has a life-long passion for sailing which started with dinghies and continued with instructing, racing keelboats, cruising and volunteering. In sailing administration he ran a sailing school in the US, co-founded the SB20 class, recently rebuilt the Feva class and re-started an Adult Sailing programme locally. Commercially, Tim has successfully led large digital change management programmes in multinational environments for many years and looks forward to combining this experience with his passion for the sport in this role.

Irish Sailing was delighted with such high demand for this role, attracting great interest from exceptional fields of expertise. 

Commenting on the announcement Irish Sailing President John Twomey said, "We thank outgoing CEO Harry Hermon for his tireless efforts over the years. We are delighted to have Tim to take up the helm. With his previous experience in business and his vision for the future of Irish Sailing, we have every confidence in his ability to lead the organisation, support all stakeholders and sailors throughout Ireland and internationally".

Commenting in his appointment, Tim added, "I really look forward to working with the Board, the dedicated members of staff and our sailing community to accelerate participation, accessibility and the reputation of our sport. Let's go sailing."

Irish Sailing has c. 24,000 members across 100 Clubs, 45 Affiliated Classes, 35 Affiliated and 40 Commercial Training/Activity Centres running accredited training programs. There is a team of over 20 including full, part-time and contract coaches working with the many volunteers who drive the sport on the water. It's focus is on supporting two complimentary elements in the sport - Core activities, the grass roots of learning, participation, cruising and racing in both clubs and centres, and Performance, Irish elite athlete's execution at international events.

For anyone wanting to learn more about being on the water in 2023, courses for young sailors and adults, racing, cruising or our Performance Team - let Irish Sailing help at www.sailing.ie.