Issue date
Yachting New Zealand has two new Board Directors in Angus Haslett and Jenny de Lisle.
Angus Haslett
Angus has a strong commercial background in the primary industry and is currently the Managing Director for CRV Oceania. However he grew up never far from the sea and lakes in New Zealand where water sports were a part of life.
His knowledge of sailing comes mainly through his two children, who went through the grass roots of learning to sail in optimists. As past President of the New Zealand International Optimist Dinghy Association Angus has been deeply involved with the management of the optimist class at club and national levels where building on creating sailors to develop a passion and respect for the sport was a major focus.
Angus is committed to seeing the strategic growth and development of junior sailors and coaches, so skills learnt are leveraged to deliver progression through the yachting classes. He understands the need for good leadership and governance to be applied well, where planning, transparency and open, strong communication are just some of the skills needed to deliver meaningful and valuable opportunities for our sailors to achieve at any level, be it a recreational/love for sailing level through to Olympic and international success in order for New Zealand to maintain and build its iconic global position in the world of sailing.
Jenny de Lisle
Jenny is a chartered accountant and since 1991 has been a Principal in an accountancy practice specialising in small businesses. The practice has a diverse range of interesting clients and for the past eleven years Jenny has been the Executive Secretary of the New Zealand Ice Cream Manufacturers’ Association.
Sailing is in Jenny’s blood as both her father and grandfather were active Wellington yachtsmen. Since the age of 5, summers have been spent cruising the magnificent Marlborough Sounds in the family launch. Married to a yachtie, Jenny has been heavily involved with both their children’s sailing which has meant a great deal of travelling around the country visiting many of the yacht clubs around New Zealand.
An active member of the Worser Bay Boating Club Jenny currently sails a sunburst, but has previously sailed starlings, 420s and has even competed in the 40th R Class Leander Trophy.
Currently Jenny is assisting the Wellington Youth Sailing Trust with their financial accounting requirements and is instrumental in obtaining funding for the replacement of the E6 fleet. Jenny has also managed the finances for a number of major regattas, including the P Class Nationals and Optimist Nationals.
In the late 1980’s Jenny was one of the founders of “Women on Water” (WOW) an organisation set up to encourage women to try sailing. A programme based on ‘Have a Go’ days and weekends to learn how to sail in a fun environment. This programme lead to a mid-week ladies keel boat series at Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club. Jenny was also a member of the first women’s team from RPNYC to compete in the National Keelboat Championships. She is also an avid follower of all sports, with particular interest in netball and skiing.
Jamie McDowell and Peter Dawson are stepping down from the Yachting New Zealand Board and I wish to thank them both sincerely for the enormous contribution they have made during their tenures.
Find out more about the Yachting New Zealand Board of Directors here.
