Jo Grindley’s career has been a diverse journey and not always plain sailing, from international banking to the British Sailing Team, from journalism to founding a sports marketing agency, from athlete agent to America’s Cup team builder, and now CEO of the 1851 Trust and a driving force behind Athena Sports Group, she has, as she puts it, learned by doing at every turn.

On International Women’s Day, we sat down with Jo to talk about dyslexia as a superpower, the courage it takes to change course, and using her voice to support others and accelerate change.

You’ve had an extraordinarily varied career. Where did it all begin?

Honestly, it began with not knowing. At 18, I had no idea what I was good at. I went to the US, started a degree, didn’t finish it, came back to the UK, and walked into a job at an international bank. I stayed for eight years. Then the opportunity came to pursue Olympic sailing, and most people would have looked at a stable career with a clear path ahead and said I can’t walk away from this, but I jumped in with both feet.

I funded myself by working as a journalist, learning PR, picking up marketing wherever I could. When I stopped competing, I had a new collection of skills and at 30 with two small children I took a leap of faith and started a sports marketing agency. Ben Ainslie had just won his first Olympic gold in Sydney and became one of my first clients, and I worked as his agent through his next three Olympic campaigns. That relationship has now lasted over 25 years and eventually led to building an America’s Cup team, a SailGP team, Women’s and Youth America’s Cup teams and a charity the 1851 Trust.

Tell us about the 1851 Trust

When we setup the America’s Cup team it was important to find the impact we could have through the sport, we know how sport can unite and inspire, so we setup the 1851 Trust. It was about how we could give young people a world class education and opportunity to learn differently in real life contexts. We created learning experiences built around the science, technology, engineering and maths behind high performance sport. Watching a foiling boat fly and understanding why that’s happening. That’s physics in action. Put physics in a textbook in front of me and I struggle. Show it to me, and I understand it immediately. For so many young people, that’s the difference between switching on and switching off and through the 1851 Trust we want to create the access and opportunity to change this.You’ve spoken openly about being dyslexic. How did that shape you?

Everyone has a superpower, and you just need to give people the confidence to find it.  For everyone to perform at their best they require something different, the space and creativity to excel and once you find that there is no limit to what you can achieve, and that’s something we’re passionate about supporting through the 1851 Trust.

You’ve spoken openly about being dyslexic. How did that shape you?

School wasn’t easy place for me, I was dyslexic. the environment valued academia, spelling tests and all learning was from a textbook with people talking at you. I was different, and none of that worked for me. What I have come to understand is that dyslexia gave me a different more creative way of thinking, it’s genuinely a superpower, it just took me a little while to recognise that. Everyone has a superpower, and you just need to give people the confidence to find it.  For everyone to perform at their best they require something different, the space and creativity to excel and once you find that there is no limit to what you can achieve, and that’s something we’re passionate about supporting through the 1851 Trust.

You work alongside some of sailing’s greatest athletes — Ben Ainslie, Hannah Mills. What unites them?

A genuine commitment to giving back. Ben is groundbreaking in every sense, the most decorated Olympic sailor in history, the founder of a multi-sport sailing group, but what strikes me most about him is that he’s never stopped asking what more he can do, not just for himself, but for the sport and for the young people coming through. Hannah is the same. They both understand that the platform they’ve built carries a responsibility.

That’s the vision we all share: to make sailing truly representative of society.

Do you think sailing a progressive sport for women?

In some ways yes, we’re one of the few sports where men and women can compete on a level playing field, the momentum is building. Our sport is changing and there are more opportunities for women, and I understand the responsibility within the roles that I have to support more women to excel in this sport that we love, hopefully we can make a difference in the future to have a more diverse sport.  The progress is more clearly seen in the athletes and quotas within teams, but that isn’t reflected in the same way of diversity in management teams and boards, so I would love to see a more diverse group of people represented to move the impact that sport can have further forward. Everyone thinks slightly differently and if you have the same group of people thinking the same way and you’re trying to solve a problem then you’re probably going to come up with the same answers. You need people to challenge and think differently to ensure you covering all bases to achieve your goals.

Is there anything you wish you’d done differently?

I wish I’d used my voice sooner. Action and words matter they create permission for others and accelerate change. As my career progressed one of the most meaningful parts is to watch the growth in others, and to be able to give back where I can to see them become the best versions of themselves. Sport is about continuous learning, it has been a very male dominated arena, but things are changing, and I hope I support this change.

What advice would you give to a young woman starting out?

Try everything, don’t let stereotypes narrow your horizon because of stereotypes. Anyone can do anything it’s what you choose to do and what your superpower is and what you’re good at. Don’t be afraid of change, don’t get complacent – strive to be better and not to settle. Life is a continual learning process, I’m learning AI right now, something that comes naturally to my daughters, but something I’m having to re-learn, life moves at pace and you have to move with it. 

One word to describe yourself?

Determined. I have a dogged determination to use whatever platform I have to create impact on the things I really care about: whether it’s the environment, young people, and the empowerment of women. That’s what keeps me motivated – alongside winning.