<p>Captain Sandy is a leader, hero and businesswoman whose exceptional leadership style has helped her to break through every obstacle in her path – from the glass ceilings and near-fatal accidents on land to pirates and fires at sea!</p>
<p>As a renowned superyacht captain with over 30 years of international maritime experience, Captain Sandy's integrity and courage have earned her an outstanding reputation as an elite class of captain. Her unflappable leadership in the face of danger earned her recognition from the International Superyacht Society, who honored her with the prestigious Distinguished Crew Award for the bravery she exhibited in the midst of a catastrophic fire and pirate threat that occurred in 2006 off the coast of Yemen.</p>
<p>Tapping into her signature affinity for adventure, Captain Sandy charted a brand new course in 2015 when she became a series lead on Bravo’s hit series <i>Below Deck Mediterranean</i>. Now in her fifth season with the show, Captain Sandy is a powerful female role model and leader and one of the network’s most universally beloved personalities. </p>
<p>With a story of overcoming her own personal struggles, including being a cancer survivor, Captain Sandy shares with audiences how to be resilient and persevere in the face adversity, along with her exceptional leadership principles of believing in your people, not giving up and it being ok to fail—that help build a world class crew you can trust and believe in.</p>
Superyacht Captain and Series Lead on <em>Below Deck Mediterranean</em>
<ul><li><strong>Navigating Troubled Waters in Changing Times: Servant Leadership Lessons From Captain Sandy</strong></li><li>Captain Sandy captured our attention as the first female superyacht captain on Bravo’s <i>Below Deck Mediterranean</i>, and her fascinating stories of servant leadership are captivating today’s in-person and virtual audiences. In her 30+ years of international maritime experience, Captain Sandy has broken glass ceilings, survived near-fatal accidents on land, and faced fires and even pirates at sea. </li><li>Most business leaders will never have such life-or-death challenges in their daily work. But surviving stormy seas taught Captain Sandy invaluable lessons that she shares with audiences about character building, acknowledging failure, inspiring a crew, and empowering them to win as a team “in the same boat.” Commanding a 154-foot vessel requires knowing when to be tough enough to stay the course or flexible enough to navigate toward calmer waters – decisions all leaders face every day. Throughout her career, Captain Sandy has lived up to her mantra: “Wake up, show up, kick ass, repeat!”</li><li><span style="color: #3e3e3c;"><strong></span>Charting Your Own Course — Despite the Obstacles</strong></li><li>Captain Sandy shares her remarkable story of overcoming addiction and cancer to become a world-renowned superyacht captain and lead on the popular Bravo reality show <i>Below Deck Mediterranean</i>. With her story of strength, resilience and resolve that led her to the top of a male-dominated field, Captain Sandy inspires audiences to overcome all obstacles and not let fear get in the way. Her survivorship story, blended with her <i>Below Deck</i> leadership escapades, makes for a wildly entertaining keynote experience. </li><li><span style="color: #3e3e3c;"><strong></span>Port of Call: Teamwork Lessons from the High Seas<span style="color: #3e3e3c;"></strong></span></li><li>Imagine the leadership and teamwork challenges you would face if the bulk of your staff turned over every week. How do you inspire your crew to work together when most of them meet just hours before setting out to sea? How do you instill a sense of teamwork and mission to flawlessly execute under these conditions? As one of the world’s first female professional yacht captains, Sandy discusses how she practices servant leadership while navigating these workplace and human capital challenges. From the beginning of a voyage to the final port of call, Sandy uses vivid storytelling to impart valuable teamwork lessons and character-building insights learned from her three decades on the high seas.</li></ul>