Further backing for Bekking

Training company joins Dutch team with pretensions for the next Volvo Ocean Race too

Schouten Global, the professional training company, will back Bouwe Bekking’s Team Brunel as a sponsor for the next Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 but has already revealed its ambition to launch its own campaign in the following edition of the fully crewed round the world race.

The Dutch company said that the race and the campaign from the Netherlands make a natural fit for them as a sponsor. It will assist Team Brunel in its crew recruitment process, which starts next Monday.

Schouten CEO Marcel van Bronswijk added: "The sponsorship is in our opinion not a one-time affair. It is our ambition to be a main sponsor of a team in the race in 2017-18. This is consistent with our approach to our training of employees and teams: set yourself a goal, make a plan, try it, learn from it, adjust your plan and do it again. This creates lasting improvements in organisations.”

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said he was delighted to welcome such a respected and ambitious company to the 'family' of offshore sailing’s most prestigious professional event.

“Sailing Holland, which is driving the Team Brunel project, has a very strong partner to help it realise its ambitions for Dutch success in the next Volvo Ocean Race,” he said. “Equally, I am delighted that Schouten is already planning well ahead and has revealed its ambition to have its own boat in the following edition in 2017-18, as a main sponsor. With exciting partners like this coming through, we are building very strong foundations for the future.”

Schouten Global, a major player in the field of training, coaching, leadership and organisational development, is the parent company to training institute Schouten & Nelissen, which is the market leader in the Netherlands.

Schouten will be assisting with the coaching of both the sailors and shore crew throughout the race.

Van Bronswijk added: “We were originally a purely Dutch company and therefore we support the Dutch team. Like them we will become an 'around-the-world' team. It was time for us to get on board.

“We were founded 35 years ago by Jan Schouten with the slogan ‘The ship is only as strong as the crew’. That was and still is a call for organisations to invest in employees and teams in order to get the best out of their business.

“With the current set-up of the Volvo Ocean Race with identical boats, the match between the event and Schouten is ideal.”

Skipper Bouwe Bekking said: "Team building is a huge part of being successful in the Volvo Ocean Race and now we have the best in the business as part of our team. Also having them with us is going to help me professionally, I can become better as a team leader myself - you're never too old to learn."