Mike Pammenter, Dave Rae and Dale Wood take the helm in South Africa.
North Sails Cape Town has announced a new leadership team, prompted by the retirement of loft stalwart Geoff Meek.
Meek will stay on as a consultant during the leadership transition, alongside his partners Etienne van Cuyk, Rick Nankin and Vikki Mitchell, the company says in a press release.
“After fifty years in the sailmaking business, Geoff Meek and his partners at North Sails Cape Town are taking a well-earned retirement and handing over the leadership of this storied sail loft to a new generation.”
“With backing and strategic support from Dale Wood, the new CEO, Mike Pammenter, and the new COO, Dave Rae, bring a wealth of experience to a loft that commands a unique location and role within the North Sails global network,” the company says.
Meek says he is exiting with full confidence in the new leadership team, “It has always been a privilege to look after all the North clients that have come via the Cape, from round-the-world races to adventure cruisers. We’ve had a great time and made good friends. We have been a North Sails loft for 35 years and you really do feel part of a family, which is not a simple thing to achieve when it’s a worldwide company. I’ve got a huge amount of confidence in the future of North Sails Cape Town – we picked Mike (Pammenter) and Dave (Rae) to take over because of their pedigree and commitment to sailmaking and sailing.”
The North Sails Cape Town loft services the entire South African market with a loft floor exceeding 2,500 square meters. It is one of the few lofts in the North Sails independently owned network with production capabilities for manufacturing panel sails on-site, combined with direct access to the North Sails owned production capabilities from One Design and OEM sails through to state-of-the-art 3Di sails and technologies.