New Sponsor for the Boat Race announced

BNY Mellon is a global leader in investment management and investment servicing, with more than 5,600 employees in the UK and 49,000 worldwide.

The five year agreement will commence on 1^st May 2012, with the 2013 Race formally titled as The BNY Mellon Boat Race.

At the same time, Newton, a BNY Mellon company and one of the UK’s leading investment firms, will continue their sponsorship of the openweight Women’s Boat Clubs in a joint initiative that will bring the Newton Women’s Boat Race to the Thames in 2015 to race on the same day and the same course as The Boat Race.

An estimated 300,000 people watch the Race from the riverside and the event is shown live on BBC TV as well as being transmitted to over 200 countries around the world. These partnerships will ensure that the Race continues to grow as one of the UK’s most iconic sporting events, while at the same time providing sustainable high performance programmes for both the men’s and women’s Boat Clubs.

The announcement of the new sponsorship was made this morning at a press conference at Somerset House, and heralds a new and exciting phase in the development of The Boat Race and in bringing gender equality in sport.

Commenting on the announcement, Robert Gillespie, Chairman of BRCL, said: “In BNY Mellon we have a sponsor who values the history and heritage of the Boat Race but is also committed to enhancing the event’s appeal to a UK and global audience. Newton has provided incredible support in the development of the Women’s Boat Clubs over the past two years and we are very excited about the prospect of the Women’s Boat Race coming to London in 2015. We are greatly looking forward to working together with both BNY Mellon and Newton to further enhance and develop the event.”

Gerald L. Hassell, chairman, president and chief executive officer of BNY Mellon, said, “The Boat Race is one of the world’s most famous sporting events with a rich heritage, and it is a great privilege and pleasure for BNY Mellon to be the title partner. In addition, we are pleased that Newton’s continued support of the women’s race is to bring parity to the sport. Being able to bring the women’s race to the same stretch of river on the same day for the first time is a significant milestone, and will enhance the experience for everyone. This is good for rowing, for gender equality, and for sport as a whole.”

University of Cambridge Vice-Chancelllor Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz commented: “I am delighted by the partnership between BNY Mellon, Newton and the Boat Race and excited by the inclusion of women's rowing in one of the most important fixtures in the global sporting calendar.  The University is grateful for the foresight of BNY Mellon and Newton in supporting our scholar-athletes, and we look forward to a bright future for the Boat Race.”

Speaking at the launch Professor Andrew Hamilton, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: “On behalf of Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, my fellow Vice-Chancellor at Cambridge, I want to express how delighted we both are about the partnership being announced today. I was fortunate to be a student at Cambridge and now have the privilege of being Vice-Chancellor at Oxford and I therefore have a relatively unique perspective of the Varsity rivalry; it is one of the enduring and defining aspects of our institutions.

“We firmly believe that sport can provide many opportunities for our students to develop the life skills and experiences that complement our outstanding academic programmes. This can of course be simply at a recreational level, but in the context of the Boat Races, the enormous dedication shown by our student crews in the face of extremely demanding timetables of study is inspiring and brings a real sense of collective pride to our universities.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome BNY Mellon to the Varsity family, especially as it features the continued sponsorship of the Women's Boat Race by Newton and the very exciting move to the Tideway for the women in future years.

“Oxford and Cambridge strive to be world class in all that we undertake, mixing heritage with cutting edge innovation. Through the Boat Race we are able to communicate these values to a global audience and we look forward to working closely with the Boat Race organisers and with such internationally respected brands as BNY Mellon and Newton.”

The 158th Xchanging Boat Race will take place at 2.15pm on Saturday, April 7, with the Henley Boat Races on Sunday, March 25.

Pictured at the announcement are (l-r) Michael Cole-Fontayn, Chairman of EMEA for BNY Mellon, Curtis Arledge, CEO of Investment Management at BNY Mellon, Helena Morrissey, CEO of Newton Investment Management, Sir Matthew Pinsent, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist and former Oxford Blue and Robert Gillespie, Chairman of The Boat Race Company. Photo Credit: Getty Images