SIR BEN AINSLIE
Born: February 5, 1977 (43)
Role: INEOS Team UK principal & skipper
America's Cup campaigns: 3
Sir Ben Ainslie is desperate to bring the America's Cup back to England for the first time.
Ainslie comes to New Zealand as one of the most successful Olympic sailors ever, after medalling at five Games.
In his first Olympics at Atlanta 1996, the teenager won a Laser silver medal, then improved to gold at Sydney four years later. Moving to Finn class, he won three successive golds at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
After conquering the Olympics, the 43-year-old has since turned his attention to the America's Cup.
His first involvement with the 'Auld Mug' saw him at the helm of Team NZ's second boat, helping Dean Barker tune up for their 2007 challenge.
He was a tactician during Oracle Team USA infamous comeback to stun Team NZ at San Francisco 2013 and then formed his own team - Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) - for the next campaign.
BAR won the America's Cup World Series, but were eliminated by Team NZ in the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton challenger series.
Ainslie is also a 11-time world champion, nine-time European champion and a four-time World Sailor of the Year, and was knighted in 2013.
