PA Consulting supports Ben Ainslie Racing team
The America’s Cup challenge takes considerable teamwork to bring home. To boost the UK's odds of capturing the prestigious trophy for the first time in history, PA Consulting Group has committed its support to the Ben Ainslie Racing team.
The America’s Cup, also known as the ‘Auld Mug’, is the world’s oldest sporting trophy. It is coveted by a great number of sailing nations, with New Zealand recently coming within a hairsbreadth of returning the trophy to Auckland. The UK too continues to eye its spender, with a win also a return to its origins – the competition starting as a race between the UK and America around the Isle of White in 1851.
The cup is notoriously difficult to capture, with particularly the high investment costs in R&D for the technology that provides a consistent edge, and its development and implementation at issue. As part of securing the cups return home, Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) is putting together a team of Britain’s best designers, technology and innovations, with the BAR Technical Innovation Group (TIG) a consortium of the best of British industry who will contribute to playing their part in a future challenge. The TIG will provide technological insight and manage innovative projects in areas such as human factors, sensing and telemetry, communications and mechanical efficiency – rapidly developing proofs of concepts and putting technologies into the field.
In a recent announcement, PA Consulting Group (PA) unveiled that it will join BAR in meeting the challenge, bringing its experience and a wide variety of advanced technologies to complement that of BAR’s design and expertise. In addition, PA’s Phil White will Chair the steering group that governs the TIG. Alan Middleton, PA Consulting Group’s Chief Executive Officer, comments: “The UK is a world leader in engineering and technological innovation. As an innovation, consulting and technology company itself, PA is proud to be contributing its insight and expertise to the challenge, working closely with the Ben Ainslie Racing team and other contributing companies.”
BAR’s Team Principal and Skipper Ben Ainslie adds: “We don’t underestimate the challenge ahead of us, the America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, and over 162 years and 34 contests Britain has never won it. We are a first time challenger, and only one challenger has ever won it at the first attempt. So we are going to make a lot of history when we bring the Cup home, but we realise that we need all the help that we can get. That’s why we have developed the Technology Innovation Group and why we are delighted to have PA Consulting Group on board.”
RS Feva Sailing Championships
For PA Consulting it is the second sailing partnership in a short period of time. In February the consulting firm announced a sponsorship deal with the RS Feva Sailing Championships.
