Marzio Perrelli has been named the America's Cup Partnership's first Chief Executive Officer, with the appointment effective immediately. Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton continues in his role as ACP Chairman.
Perrelli's background spans investment banking and broadcast sports rights. He held senior positions at Goldman Sachs and HSBC before joining Sky Italy in 2018 as Executive Vice President, taking charge of the Sky Sports division and overseeing its editorial output, production, and rights acquisitions.
The organisation he now leads marks a fundamental departure from how the America's Cup has been run throughout its 174-year existence. Competing teams have come together under a shared governance and commercial framework for the first time, replacing the traditional Defender-centric model with equal board representation for all five founding teams: Emirates Team New Zealand, Athena Racing, Luna Rossa, Tudor Team Alinghi, and K-Challenge.
Alongside that structural shift, the partnership has committed to a biennial schedule, bringing an end to the irregular, stop-start calendar that has long frustrated sponsors and broadcasters.
"The America's Cup is the oldest and most prestigious competition in international sport," Perrelli said. "Our responsibility today is to preserve its deep heritage while ensuring greater continuity, stability and long-term growth."
Dalton pointed to the timing as significant: "At least five strong teams are confirmed for Naples in 2027, women are onboard the AC75s for the first time, and the ACP now offers surety and continuity over future regattas."
Perrelli steps into the role ahead of the first Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup Preliminary Regatta, set for Sardinia from 21 to 24 May 2026.
The new structure does not have clear water ahead of it. A formal complaint lodged with the New York Attorney General's Charities Bureau in February alleges that the ACP's formation breaches the America's Cup Deed of Gift. That legal challenge remains unresolved.
