Mark Denton: BA Hons Business Administration

Mark Denton

BA Hons Business Administration, 1994

"I am a professional skipper now and business consultant."

Mark Denton's hobby, sailing, became an obsession and he worked his way up to become a professional skipper of a crew of 17 amateur sailors in the BT Global Challenge 2001.

The team, on the BP Explorer, came home in third place in the gruelling ten-month voyage, said to be the toughest round-the-world yacht race.

"It's a fascinating sport but a lot of it is about leadership and managing people as well as being able to sail," said 32-year-old Mark.

"I went back to university at 21 after running my own business for a couple of years - Luton really put me back on my feet and made me feel I could control my own destiny.

Now in-between sailing commitments, Mark uses his university and business background coupled with his yacht racing experience to teach teambuilding and people management for companies who are striving to achieve and maintain outstanding performance.

"The parallels between running a team in sport and business are many, and I definitely learnt a lot about what intrinsically motivates people," he added.

The sea still draws the skipper back - Mark's next challenge is the Volvo Ocean Race in 2005 - a tough race for professionals.

Interview took place in 2003.