The team

RigPro is the only rigging services company with a global team of professionally qualified engineers with decades of experience in rig and rigging design, upgrades, retuning, reviews and repairs. With this experience, our team is incomparable in terms of superyacht and grand prix yacht servicing.

Our team can be mobilized to travel anywhere in the world to handle the

management and maintenance of a project as well as carry out surveys and inspections. At RigPro, we pride ourselves on providing an unmatched level of customer care throughout the lifecycle of the rig, and we are able to adapt rapidly to any of our clients requirements and needs.

For a team you can rely on, get in touch with RigPro.

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Chris Walker

ManagementProject Management

Business Manager RigPro Europe

Chris started working for RigPro in New Zealand at the start of 2015 before moving to Palma in the summer of 2017 to develop RigPro in Europe. A background in industrial design and award winning Superyacht refits make Chris uniquely qualified to understand our customers’ needs and to deliver tailored projects.

Tomeu Genovard

FinanceManagement

Finance Manager

Tomeu joined RigPro in 2018, previously he was at Ernst & Young where he covered a senior position. He has almost 20 years of international experience in finance and accounting having worked in several countries, mostly in the UK, Spain and the USA and sectors including engineering, construction and tourism. Tomeu speaks English, Spanish and Catalan.  

Steve Young

ManagementDesign

Service Design Manager

Steve moved from New Zealand to become the first member of RigPro Palma in the beginning of 2017. He has almost 20 years of mast and boom design experience with both Southern Spars and Marten Spars. As a qualified engineer he was formerly responsible for Southern Spars boom engineering and assisting to manage the engineering team, he has been involved in the design of hundreds of rigs. Steve has extensive experience in the construction of composites, as well as mechanical and hydraulic systems. He has a passion for sailing with extensive racing experience to a national title level in New Zealand. Steve can advise on all engineering aspects including damage repair, NDT and upgrades.

Hamish Miller

ManagementRigging TechnicalProject Management

RigPro Global General Manager

Hamish joined RigPro in 2018 but he had a long standing working relationship with RigPro. He has more than 10 years of experience in rigging services and projects including commissioning of new rigs, warranty repairs, emergency damage repairs and service maintenance. Hamish consistently provided outstanding service to customers, developing its excellent reputation in the rigging service sector.

Andrew James

Design

Service Designer

Andrew joined RigPro in 2018, he is a highly skilled design engineer with six years of experience in rig and rigging design engineering. Before joining RigPro Andrew was the lead rig designer in Southern Spars Cape Town. He is proficient in AutoCAD and SolidWorks and he is also an avid sailor

Tom Brown

Project Management

Operations Manager

Tom joined RigPro in 2023. Tom is a second-generation yacht rigger from Falmouth, England so consequently started his apprenticeship as soon as he could walk. He has over 12 years’ experience in the industry from racing classics and Superyachts to managing large rigging projects. Tom has managed prestigious projects such as Hetairos, Kamaxitha, Halekai, Vijonara and Adix but is equally at home aloft working on smaller race boats. He has a long-standing history working alongside the International RigPro team so joining our team was an easy transition. Tom is our hands on manager leading our team of riggers in New Zealand.

Anais Raices

Administration

Project Administrator

Anais joined RigPro in mid-2019, first working for the Valencia office as an administrative assistant and later on joining RigPro Palma as Project Administrator. She has a background in office administration in different fields and organizations in Venezuela, the US and Spain, including healthcare facilities, academic institutions and the tourism industry. Anais speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese and is highly oriented to teamwork and collaboration, working closely with the Project Managers and the finance team to facilitate customer support and satisfaction  

Candela Delfino

Administration

Project Administrator

Candela joined RigPro Europe at the end of 2021 as Project Administrator. She is a recent Business Administration and Management graduate and has learned the fundamentals of accounting with her audit experience. Candela has a multicultural background having lived in different countries throughout her life, which has broadened her teamworking skills. Candela is fluent in English, Spanish and Catalan and is learning German.

Jana Baxter

Administration

Project Administrator

Jana joined RigPro Europe in the summer of 2022 to assist within the administration department. She is a Law graduate with a passion for analysis and research and hopes to develop these skills as part of the team. Jana also has a strong interest within the world of sailing, she has sailed around the UK, and most recently sailed double handed from Southampton to Mallorca. Her dedication to her work and enthusiasm for learning new skills, along with her academic background, makes her an asset to all departments.

Erik Bernström

Management

Business Manager

Nigel Hawke

Project Management

Project Manager

Nigel joined RigPro in 2006 He has over 30 years of experience in the yachting industry. Shortly after leaving school he worked on boats from 30 feet to 70 feet. He then worked at Southern Spars gaining an in-depth and extensive knowledge across all areas of production including components, spreaders, booms and mast assembly Nigel is responsible for refits of superyacht rigs and new builds, including complex carbon modifications and repairs. Nigel manages the RigPro NZ apprenticeship program and assists the next generation of young riggers to develop their full potential as professional riggers.

Tracey Bell

Finance

Accountant

Tracey joined RigPro in 2018. Tracey is responsible for preparing, analysing and generating the financial statements that display the company’s profits, equity and cash flow. Tracey has a BA in business along with 10 years practical experience. With a strong focus on attention to detail and a conscientious work ethic, Tracey provides invaluable support to the team and assists with business growth.

Kristen Sneyd

Administration

Office Manager

Kristen joined RigPro in 2014. She has 30 years of experience in the GP racing yacht and superyacht industry. She has worked on an incredible six Americas Cup campaigns as well as a Whitbread round the world race, including Oracle Racing (2010 to 2013), BMW Oracle Racing (2003 to 2007) the winners of the Americas Cup; Team New Zealand (1994 to 2003) and the successful Tokio Whitbread Campaign (1992-1994).

Greg Yeo

Management

General Manager RPNZ

Greg joined RigPro in 2019. He has a total of 30 years of multi-industry operations and Project management experience including; Marine Project management, Commercial Building construction, Lean Manufacturing and Value engineering. During his time in the commercial industry he was the Senior Project Manager for Tawera Group which completed multiple construction builds and fit outs for high end luxury apartments and commercial office and retail fit outs. For 4 years he was the Project Co-ordinator at Alloy Yachts during which time his responsibilities included the builds of two of the finest Dubois 44m Sloops, Imagine followed by the mighty Encore. He spent 16 years as a professional yachtsman on yachts as diverse as offshore racing catamarans to J Class yachts with mast and running rigging as his specialty and has over 120,000 nm of bluewater sailing experience.

Andrew Cooke

Rigging Technical

Senior Rigger

Andrew joined RigPro in 2019 He has over 26 years of experience in the rigging and engineering industries. He has previously  owned his own stainless engineering company and has constructed multiple motor boats. He is a very experienced keelboat racer and has competed in everything from Elliot 5.9s  through to an Orma 60 Trimaran. He currently races aboard a TP52 out of Auckland. He has 30,000 nm of  bluewater cruising and racing experience under his belt.

Josh Pearl

Project Management

Project Manager

Josh joined RigPro in 2017. He has over 10 years’ experience in the boatbuilding industry where he qualified in wooden and composite boatbuilding. He joined Southern Spars in 2010 as a composite engineer where he led their pre-preg lamination team, gaining invaluable knowledge of all of our customised products. Josh provides our customers with world class professional service.

Patrick Morgan

Rigging Technical

Trainee Rigger/Assistant Project Manager

Pat joined RigPro in September 2022. Pat has been sailing since he was 8 years old starting in Optimists and progressing through the P Class and Starling fleets into the 29er Class where he represented New Zealand multiple times in the World Championships placing in the top 10. He now competes in the 49er class with his twin brother and placed 3rd in the Junior Worlds in 2022. When he’s not practicing in the 49er or coaching other dinghy sailors, he races aboard various keel boats in the Waitemata. He graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Finance and Supply chain management.

Gavin Ninnes

Rigging Technical

Trainee Rigger

Gavin joined RigPro in 2020 He is a keen skiff sailor and is currently competing in the 49er skiff regattas. He trialled for the 49er Olympic team in 2020 but was pipped to the line by Burling and Tuke. Prior to that he owned a 29er dinghy and competed in international regattas. Gavin coaches sailing at  Pt Chevalier Yacht Club  and the  French Bay Yacht Club  

Aaron Pennell

Rigging Technical

Composite Sparmaker and Senior Rigger

Aaron joined RigPro in 2022. He has 24 years of mast building experience at both Marten Spars and Southern Spars and has been involved in the build of hundreds of masts from laminating to final fit out. He is a first-class composite specialist, with his skills for laminate repairs being requested in all corners of the world. When he’s not working on masts, he likes to ride in Moto cross events and restore his 1962 Mini.

Peter Gamble

Rigging Technical

Trainee Rigger

Peter joined RigPro in May 2022. He left school at 17 to work as a deckhand on Superyachts, aboard the Southern Spars rigged Georgia. He was watchkeeper aboard Thalia and the Mate aboard My Star. He has been sailing for 11 years both racing and cruising. He has raced competitively in, Starling dinghies, Flying Dutchman as well as the 29er class. He is a keen kite surfer and enjoys offroad rallying in his 4 x 4 truck.

Manuel Garcia del Cid Vargas

Project Management

Associate RigPro Specialist

Manuel joined the Group in 2022 as a Parts Specialist to assist the Project Management Department. He has over 5 years of expertise in the yachting industry and a background in Naval Architecture. His enthusiasm for the world of sailing drives him to continue learning and growing in order to become a well-established professional in this field. Manu enjoys water sports such as surfing and kite surfing in addition to sailing.

Alvaro Barnuevo

Project Management

Associate RigPro Specialist

Alvaro joined in the spring of 2022 as an Associate RigPro Specialist. He is a Yacht and Powercraft Design graduate, with previous project management experience on super yachts and as a technician. Alvaro joins RigPro to further develop his skills and knowledge within the marine industry.

Alex Mitchell-Barker

Rigging Technical

Trainee Rigger

Alex joined RigPro in 2019 He has 3 years of experience in the rigging industry. He is a competitive foiling skiff sailor and is the 2020 NZ Wasp champion. He is building his own carbon fibre foiling Moth so he can compete at  the next level.  

Jack Hayward-Slattery

Rigging Technical

Trainee Rigger

Jack joined RigPro in 2022 and started his apprenticeship in 2023. He has been sailing since he was 11 years old and competed in the Optimist and Starling race circuit. Jack races aboard multiple keelboats in the Auckland regattas and has competed in numerous coastal races around New Zealand. He has coached dinghy sailing at Glendowie Boating Club for many seasons. Like most of our staff he has a strong passion for the sea.

Thomas Elmore

Design

Service Designer

Thomas (Tom) joined the RigPro team in 2020, after moving to Europe from New Zealand. He has a background in mechanical engineering and joined the RigPro team with close to 5 years’ experience in composite and mechanical design at Southern Spars NZ. Thomas has experience with mast and boom laminate design, global rig analysis, as well as mechanical and hydraulic systems. He has a passion for sailing and brings this enthusiasm to his design work at RigPro.

Jamie Webster

Project Management

Assistant Project Manager

Jamie joined the RigPro Europe team in 2020 as an Assistant Project Manager. Having grown up sailing and gone on to work as engineer on prestigious sailing superyachts, Jamie is well equipped to understand our clients needs. His knowledge of superyacht systems means he is able to assist in offering a well-integrated approach to yacht service

Patrik Pollidori

Design

Technical Department

 

Russell Whitworth

Project Management

RigPro Specialist and Project Manager

With a strong, wide-ranging skillset, Russell joins us equipped with 20 years’ experience in the industry. From working as crew to owning and operating an independent rigging business for over a decade, he has built a long-standing working relationship with RigPro—completing refits, new builds, and repairs alongside our team of service professionals on projects like Hetairos and My Song. His 250k+Nm and years of inshore and offshore racing with some of the world’s most eminent Yachts and Superyachts – including Sydney to Hobarts, Caribbean 600s, Middle Sea Races, Fastnets, and Transatlantic races – make him a fantastic asset to the team. Continuing his face-to-face work with members of the industry he’ll be assisting in all areas of RigPro’s service offering.

Giovanni Buono

RigPro Specialist

Equipped with a wide variety of experience in the industry, having worked as a technical supervisor, sailor and captain of both pleasure and race yachts, Giovanni joined RigPro in 2021 to help with the management of projects and customers' requirements. Highly qualified, with a master's degree in aerospace engineering, he also has a burning passion for sailing, having been a keen sailor since childhood.

Pranesh Kulasekeram

Finance

Team Member – Finance

Pranesh joined RigPro in April 2021 as a member of the finance team. Pranesh has three years of experience in PwC as an external auditor. He is currently working in the shared service finance team for RigPro and dealing with accounts payable of the business along with project administrators.

Shalini Rathnasinghe

Finance

Team Leader – Finance

Shalini joined to the group in 2017 and moved to RigPro in 2020, previously she was at PwC as a Senior Executive for three and half years where she has worked in many sectors including manufacturing, insurance, hotel, and trade. With her accounting background she has been serving other Group companies for almost three years before moving to RigPro shared service finance as a team leader.

Ranga Vithanage

Finance

Team Member – Finance

Ranga joined the Group in June 2022 and RigPro in November 2021. Ranga worked previously in Ernst & Young for two and half years in audit, with experience in sectors such as manufacturing, services, trading, and shipping & logistics. She is part of the shared service finance team handling responsibilities in accounts receivables of the business along with the project administrators.