World Sailing appoints Scott Dougal as Director of Communications and Digital

World Sailing has appointed experienced media and communications strategist, Scott Dougal, as Director of Communications and Digital.

Dougal brings over 20 years of experience working within the sports media landscape. He began his career as a reporter and sub-editor with the Press Association, the multimedia news agency, and the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, before leading on the development of new editorial products in partnership with commercial, page-ready and digital teams.

His roles at the Press Association saw him work on major events including Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing and Vancouver, Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Melbourne and Delhi, as well as major football tournaments Euro 2008, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also acted as a consultant to the host news agency at Sochi 2014.

Most recently, Dougal was Head of Communications for British Cycling, a position he has held since 2012. He has worked on three Olympic and Paralympic Games and brings expertise across media relations, stakeholder engagement and digital strategy, with a proven track record of driving engagement and growth.

In addition, Dougal has specialised in implementing advocacy and campaigning strategies, positioning British Cycling as a leading voice on behalf of cyclists everywhere.

“World Sailing is pushing boundaries as a sport that is becoming increasingly cutting edge and diverse. Guiding the communications for a global governing body as it navigates this new cycle is extremely exciting,” said Dougal, who will take up the new position in April.

“The sport has many excellent role models, inspiring stories and a huge range of vastly different events – there is much we can do to utilise the unique qualities of sailing which make it so important to so many people while broadening the reach of the sport,” he concluded.

“Scott is a vastly experienced communications professional with the skills and presence to guide World Sailing’s direction, and align media campaigns, event-related content and ensure maximum exposure for the many great initiatives World Sailing is part of every year,” said David Graham, CEO of World Sailing. “After an extensive global search, we are all looking forward to him joining the team.”