Senior team

Ben Willows is CEO at UK Sailing Academy (UKSA). Prior to this Ben was UKSA’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations. He first started at UKSA in 1998 as a student and then started work as a watersports instructor. Ben came to UKSA from a dinghy sailing background, sailing on reservoirs in the midlands. Once qualified he worked onboard various high-profile yachts and spent several years teaching and coaching in Australia and the Caribbean, before he moved back to Cowes to work at UKSA’s HQ. He has worked at UKSA for over 20 years. Throughout this time Ben has gained an unrivalled breadth of knowledge about the academy and its facilities.

Julia joined UKSA in 2018 after over 20 years of professional experience and achievements in the Advertising and Publishing Sector. She previously spent nine years as Chief Operating Officer of the Content Marketing Association (CMA). At the CMA she was responsible for delivering £60m of business to the content marketing sector, and driving it forward to become what it is now, a £1bn industry. While there, she also worked directly with top brands such as Audi, John Lewis, RBS, Boden, Bang & Olufsen and Standard Life, providing a consultancy service to help them enter the world of content marketing. Prior to this she was head of new business at media agency Starcom, following senior commercial roles working with Associated Newspapers and Sunday Business. Her communication skills ensure that she builds lasting working relationships with clients, colleagues, senior stakeholders and board level management. Under her direction, objectives are met on time and within budget.

Mark joined UKSA in June 2022.  Mark is a chartered management accountant, having qualified with Tesco where he started his career.  Prior to UKSA, Mark worked in several industries, ranging from FMCG, leisure & tourism and utilities.  He has worked in the UK, India, Hong Kong and most recently in Singapore where he was the Commercial Finance Director for a Southeast Asian retailer.  Mark started sailing when he was eight and is now a RYA Yachtmaster Offshore.  At university, Mark spent three years with the Southampton University Royal Naval Unit and sailed with the Joint Services Adventurous Sail Training Centre in Gosport. Having completed a Fastnet campaign, he is also a member of the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

Amy joined UKSA in June 2021 and brings a wealth of knowledge from 10 years’ experience in the fundraising sector. She has built multiple charity funding streams from scratch in several different charities, with a key focus on raising high value income. Amy is a recognised leader in the sector and strives to achieve sustainable income growth, having raised tens of millions of pounds for charities. Amy is Chair of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s Major Donor Group and sits on their highly regarded Convention Board. Having moved from London, Amy likes to get out on the water as much as she can now she’s by the sea. She also loves to see the world and has kayaked on every continent.

Chris is a high-level RYA coach who has worked in the maritime industry since training on UKSA’s WIT course over 20 years ago. After working for Neilson and Sunsail, he travelled the world running high-end watersports resorts. After this he used his qualifications to set up RYA training centres in Egypt, before running UKSA Australia for two years. He is still passionate about on-the-water activities such as surfing, and is a keen mountain biker.