London Business School sets sail with the Clipper 2025/26 round the world yacht race

(MENAFN- Manara Global)
01 September 2025 - London Business School (LBS) today proudly waved off its yacht as the Clipper 2025-26 Round the World Yacht Race officially set sail from Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth. Marking the beginning of an 11-month, 40,000-nautical-mile circumnavigation, the departure signals the start of an extraordinary global adventure for the crew and for the School’s first-ever involvement in the race.

As the first educational institution to partner with the Clipper Race, LBS joins as both Team and Education Partner, underscoring its mission to prepare leaders for the challenges of a rapidly changing world. The partnership highlights the School’s belief in experiential learning and its commitment to cultivating resilience, teamwork, and leadership under pressure.

Graham Hastie, Associate Dean, London Business School, said: “At London Business School, we are proud to partner with the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, which is an extraordinary test of resilience, leadership, and teamwork. The race highlights the unpredictability of the ocean and the strength that comes from preparation, collaboration, and trust in your crew. These qualities mirror the values we champion at LBS - courage, global perspective, and the determination to face challenges head-on. As a RNLI volunteer, I am particularly proud of this partnership, which reflects the same commitment to teamwork and leadership that lies at the heart of both successful sailing and successful business.”

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, is one of the world’s most demanding endurance challenges, taking non-professional crews through some of the toughest ocean conditions. The LBS team will bring together a diverse crew from across the world, including participants from the Middle East and North Africa, reflecting the region’s growing engagement with global opportunities and leadership challenges. For London Business School, this departure represents not only the start of a global journey but also a powerful expression of its mission to inspire and equip leaders who can navigate uncertainty, drive innovation, and make an impact on the world stage.

Notably, a significant number of women are represented on the LBS yacht crew underlining the School’s strong commitment to advancing women in leadership. Through its Women in Leadership programmes offered in the MENA region, LBS equips women with the tools to step into bigger leadership roles, lead with presence, negotiate for themselves, build and leverage strategic networks, harness storytelling, and translate learning into action planning. These same themes are reflected on board, where collaboration, resilience, and self-advocacy are essential for success.

This philosophy of learning through challenge and discovery extends to LBS’s Executive Education programmes in the Middle East, where the School has been present for nearly two decades. Through its teaching in Dubai and its newly established office in Riyadh, LBS equips senior leaders and entrepreneurs with the skills and perspective needed to succeed in complex environments. These programmes were recently recognised with the Gold Brandon Hall Group Award for Best Use of a Blended Learning Programme in Saudi Arabia, a testament to the School’s innovative approach to executive development and its alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 transformation agenda.

With campuses and offices in London, New York, Dubai, and Riyadh, and a network of more than 56,000 alumni representing over 150 countries, LBS continues to expand its presence worldwide. Just as the Clipper Race crew will learn, adapt, and grow through their extraordinary journey, London Business School remains committed to empowering leaders in Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East, and across the globe to embrace continuous learning and resilience as the foundation of long-term success. In doing so, the School supports the ambitions of Vision 2030, helping to prepare leaders who will drive innovation, diversification, and sustainable growth in the Kingdom and beyond.

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