OUR TEAM

We are passionate about serving our customers’ logistics needs, remaining dedicated throughout the logistics process and loyal to developing long-term relationships. Our team members come from all walks of the marine sport, leisure, events and freight forwarding sectors, and are united by their common resilience, commitment and know-how to deliver your requirements across the globe, on time, on budget.

International

Our international success has been built on long-standing values, strong industry knowledge and a shared passion for the event world and the sport of sailing. The GAC Pindar team is made up of professionals from seven countries and operates in key international time zones. We have worked on major events in more than 60 locations around the world and have delivered freight to hundreds more. Our core team speak German, English, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Meet the Migration Experts

If you’re in town, why not visit us at our Control Tower in Southampton on the south coast, right on the waterfront and at the heart of the UK sailing industry. From there, we manage global events and freight movements, carefully sourcing the right solutions to meet your needs, drawing on the reach and resources of GAC’s global network of colleagues and trusted agents. We will come to you if you need us to, providing tailored on-ground services right to your doorstep.

Qualified

Between us, we have decades of industry know-how gained in the event field and out on international waters. Having worked on global events such as previous editions of The Ocean Race, the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, our team of sailors, logisticians and freight forwarding experts draw on a wealth of knowledge and understanding continuously problem solving, providing solid results.

Our staff are fully qualified in their areas of expertise. Members of our technical team are certified in lifting operations, cargo survey and cargo lash and load, and they hold IPAF and forklift licenses. Members of our operations team are IATA Dangerous Goods trained and have solid experience in ATA Carnets, and import & export procedures by land, sea and air.

GAC Services (UK) Ltd holds ISO 9001:2015 certification in quality management and all our procedures are compliant with ISO 45001:2018 health and safety standards. Read our Group policies here.

Industry Disruptors

We are here to serve you. To shake up the freight forwarding sector and provide viable alternatives for the marine sport, leisure and event world. We are here to think differently, to be more than a freight forwarder, to share your passion.

Nick Browne

Managing Director, GAC UK

Nick joined GAC UK as Managing Director in January 2023 after working in Dubai for 10 years as Global Director for GAC Bunker Fuels. More recently he was head of GAC’s Sustainability Working Group where Nick committed to a goal of zero conventional oil-based bunker sales by 2030. In 2021, the pledge contributed to Nick being named one of 20 top young maritime professionals by Seatrade Maritime’s #20Under40 Award. Continuing his efforts to pave the way for change in the maritime industry, he’s passionate about helping GAC Pindar and our customers monitor & reduce Co2 emissions.

Andrew Pindar OBE DL

Founding Partner

Andrew’s first foray into sailing sponsorship was in 1980, supporting a North Sea Race starting from his hometown of Scarborough. His name and the Arctic Tern logo are now synonymous with sailing having circumnavigated around the world seven times, and his industry knowledge, commitment and passion are key to the ongoing growth of our logistics business.

Andrew has worked at the forefront of the drive for equality in sailing for over four decades, promoting the interests of female athletes and those with disabilities around the world. A previous ambassador to The Ocean Race, a patron of Sail4Cancer and a trustee of The Magenta Project, Andrew continues to champion women in sailing and the reintroduction of the sport to the Paralympics.

Jeremy Troughton

General Manager

Since 2001, Jeremy has been involved in all aspects of project management and programme delivery, working across different sites, venues, countries and time zones for events including previous editions of The Ocean Race, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Portsmouth America’s Cup World Series, and the 2012 London Olympic Games. He joined GAC Pindar as Project Manager for the 2017-18 edition of The Ocean Race 2017-18 and now heads up our whole team. We know him as JT; he has big ambitions and even higher standards.

Nick Crabtree

Head of Business Development

With almost four decades of sailing experience, Nick played a founding role in the GAC Pindar business and was instrumental in securing our first major contract with the Extreme Sailing Series, and later the 2014-15 edition of The Ocean Race. His market knowledge is built on his experience working and sailing with major international sailing teams and multiple Ocean Race Teams. He is experienced across all commercial aspects of sailing and still actively participates in regattas and superyacht racing globally, whilst continuing to develop the GAC Pindar business from Auckland, New Zealand.

Beth King

Operations Manager

Beth has 25 years of experience working in event, exhibition and marine-focused logistics. Previous projects include the sailing phenomenon, SailGP, the past two editions of The Ocean Race, the America’s Cup World Series during AC35 and six editions of the Extreme Sailing Series. Beth is an English, French & Russian speaker and manages our operations team and local agents from our Control Tower in Southampton.

Verity Springer

Project Manager

Verity is a logistics operations specialist with a passion for the marine leisure sector, moving race yachts, equipment, and spares around the world. Managing freight forwarding requirements for sailing teams, private owners, and premier sailing events, she has been trusted to organise shipments for the America’s Cup and on-site logistics for SailGP. Speaking fluent German and English, Verity is an extremely knowledgeable member of the GAC Pindar team.

Diogo Diniz

Business Development Manager

Hailing from Portugal, Diogo joined the GAC Pindar business in 2014. With over 30 years of sailing experience working with various classes including SB20s, Moths, Dragons, youth and Olympic classes, GC32s, RC44s and an extensive period working within the superyacht sector, Diogo brings a wide spectrum of knowledge to our team. He speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and French and is an instrumental part of our ‘on-ground’ team at major events.

Hervé le Quilliec

Business Development Manager

Our native Frenchman, Hervé was a professional sailor before moving across to shore team & operations management for various sailing teams participating in previous editions of The Ocean Race. He was part of the Bermuda organising team for the 35th America’s Cup and part of the organisation of the 36th America’s Cup series in Italy. He has been part of the GAC Pindar project team for the last two editions of The Ocean Race and remains focussed on expanding our business in the French ocean race market.

Olly Smith

Site Operations and Project Manager

Long-time sailor and yacht skipper, Olly has racked up over 100,000 sea miles managing ocean race boats. For 13 years, he learnt of the positive impact of well-organised logistics on sailing teams and events, and that insight shapes his approach to managing freight logistics and onsite operations for leading global events such as the SailGP, previous editions of The Ocean Race and the America’s Cup World Series. Specialising and certified in lifting operations, cargo survey, lash and load, Olly also consults on the technical side of yacht shipping as well as container conversions and modifications.

Aaron Lush

Project Manager

Aaron knows what it takes to keep the wheels of the freight world turning. He has over 19 years of experience working in the freight forwarding sector, successfully managing logistics for UK exporters through, arguably, the most challenging period the global freight industry has seen. With a solid grasp of multiple worldwide freight moves, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the GAC Pindar team. Discovering a love for sailing as a child at Sea Scouts, Aaron is excited to apply his freight forwarding expertise to the requirements of the marine leisure, sport and event sector, working on The Ocean Race 2022-23 project delivery.

Martin Molloy

Project Manager

Martin has over 17 years of combined freight forwarding and event logistics experience. He is our Project Lead for The Ocean Race where he expertly manages the end-to-end logistics process, working with race partners and suppliers to deliver a sustainable, cost-effective race. Having joined the team in 2014 to work on our first partnership outing during the 2014-15 edition, Martin applies his experience of working on two editions of the event daily, working with the event organisers in Alicante and traveling with their team. He is IATA Dangerous Goods trained and has vast experience in ATA Carnets, import & export procedures by air, ocean & road, and international customs processes.

Katie Watts

Marketing and Communications Manager

Katie joined GAC Pindar in 2015, after working in television and sports logistics since 1999. From her base at our headquarters in Southampton, Katie is responsible for marketing the GAC Pindar brand as we aim to make our logistics offering more streamlined and cost-effective for our customers. She liaises with our sales and operations teams, continuously evaluating and improving internal commercial processes and is part of GAC UK’s Sustainability Working Group.

Chris Ball

Site Operations Manager

Chris has worked on sports events operations and logistics for twelve years. Chris was part of the core SailGP Global Operations Team responsible for developing and delivering all event requirements for seasons two & three. Career highlights include working on the Heineken Cup Rugby finals, the 2022 Commonwealth Games & travelling the world with the Extreme Sailing Series. His knowledge of crisis management, health & safety & international supplier procurement, build scheduling & monitoring is underpinned by his military background working in the HM Royal Marine Commandos.