group,’ says Sanderson. ‘Because he had been through the same process with his own company, his experience was very beneficial.’ Once negotiations began in
earnest – ‘which were tough but very fair’ – it took about seven months to get ink to paper. ‘One of the things that we quickly aligned on was the importance of treating our people right,’ he says. ‘Over the years my partners in
Doyle Sails – David Duff (Duffy), Richard Bouzaid – and I dragged a lot of our professional sailing mates into the Doyle family as we emphasised the “by sailors, for sailors” concept that has been such a crucial part of our success. I had to make absolutely sure that every one of them would be treated fairly or my name would be mud. ‘The good thing is that NTG and
Oakley totally got it. They understood the need for everybody to be excited about the outcome and motivated to keep going.’ In a sense, this development represents the closing of a circle for Sanderson. After leaving school he joined North Sails New Zealand as an apprentice with a view to progressing into professional sailing. As his sailing career advanced to success at the highest grand prix levels – including the Volvo Ocean Race and the America’s Cup – he stepped away from sailmaking. Then, about a decade ago he returned to the industry, first buying into and ultimately taking over leadership of Doyle Sails. Now the NTG deal brings
Sanderson back alongside North Sails, where his career began. Although he confesses to ‘not having a business bone in my body’, he approached running Doyle Sails as a sailing campaign. ‘I told myself this is winnable,’ he says and accordingly applied to the business all the aspects of building a team, developing skills and strategies and demanding of himself and his fellow players the same commitment to 100 per cent performance that he had successfully applied in sport. The strategy has worked well.
Over the past decade, Doyle Sails has gained significant market share, particularly in the grand prix and superyacht sectors. It has also gained attention for the constant stream of high profile sailors joining the brand, and equally for product development and innovation with design breakthroughs including Cable-less technology, Structured Luff upwind and downwind sails, high-performance materials such as Stratis and, more recently, Hybrid. Turnover has increased by 235 per cent, the global loft network has
Above: the 52ft Reichel/ Pugh sled Vitesse, pictured here during the Transpac Race
grown to just over 50, withmore than 500 employees. Results in the world’s most competitive circuit events have shown a steady rise, culminating in the 2024 season, when Doyle Sails claimed victories inmost of themajor inshore and offshore superyacht and grand prix events. ‘I think it was quite a healthy
approach to bring the sporting campaign mentality that Duffy, Richard and I all share, to the business world,’ says Sanderson. ‘In those terms, this NTG deal is another solid result. ‘I think the really smart thing is
that it clears the crystal ball for the future,’ he continues. ‘We have all seen sailmaking brands come and go in the past. We are not so arrogant that we believe history will not repeat itself in our case. ‘There was always going to be a
question of, will Doyle Sails be able to keep eating away at the grand prix and superyacht market, or will NTG just flex its muscle? Now we have confidence about our ability to both run the business and invest for growth, where previously we sometimes had to choose between one or the other. ‘Whether the crystal ball becomes
murky again in four, eight, or 10 years will depend on how good a job we do as a collective. If we do a really good job of keeping up a competitive environment between the brands – particularly technically and commercially – and keep it fun and exciting, it could go onmuch longer. ‘From our point of view, we must
always remember what people like about what we do at Doyle Sails. Attention to detail and the bespoke approach to each individual programme and campaign. How
we are embedded and committed to working with our owners and teams to achieve their goals. The personal attention. How we work with their naval architects and sailing teams to understand exactly what they want and how to deliver it. How we keep striving to improve every aspect of our game. ‘It is all about personal relationships and meeting expectations. We have to remember what got us here. That is the most important thing. If we go away from that, we are acutely aware that it will be our undoing.’ While all three NTG sailmaking
companies are fully committed to continuing as competitors, Sanderson indicated the war would be conducted under a Geneva Convention-type framework. ‘In the past, competition may have sometimes got in the way of sound decision-making, but now NTG is there to ensure this comes first,’ he says. Watson accepts his role as referee
with a chuckle. ‘I think of NTG asmy sport,’ he says. ‘Competitive instinct is essential for business survival, let alone success.’ He says when former brand rivals – ‘and some of them have been quite extreme’ – find themselves under the NTG umbrella, their relationships change. ‘The environment remains
competitive, but it is different. It becomes more like a sibling rivalry than all-out war but it is still there and it is significant. I think it is good. We want to promote that. That is where the drive, energy and innovation comes from. And that ultimately turns into better products, better customer experience, better outcomes.’
www.doylesails.com
❑ SEAHORSE 59
SHARON GREEN
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