Palma-based superyacht sail designer Flavia Tomiselli has been awarded the North Sails Richmond Award.
The peer-nominated award highlights North Sails’ brightest young stars who exude confidence, dedication, hard work, and leadership on or off the water.
The award was established in memory of North Sails employee Sam Richmond, who died after a tragic sailing accident.
It is awarded annually to an up-and-coming employee within any division of North Sails who shows passion and expertise and exceeds expectations.
“Part of being a manager in any company is searching not just for talent but potentially the next generation of talent,” said North Sails president Ken Read.
“Sam was clearly on that path. He was personable, smart, and a great sailor. He understood the product and the clients.
“In that respect, his loss hit that much harder, and this is really the spirit of the Richmond Award; to find those types of people who are, in their own unique way, out of that Sam Richmond mould.”
Standout qualities
Flavia began her career at North Sails in 2019 as a junior designer and is now helping design and service Grand Prix TP52 programs, and the Baltic 111 project Raven, one of the most innovative superyachts on the water.
Jens Christensen, North Sails Superyacht Leader has praised Flavia’s growth, citing her humility and authenticity as standout qualities.
“Flavia is extremely dedicated to her work and always keen to learn more. Her diligence and smarts have helped us secure some of the best sail orders on the best-performance sailboats in the world,” he said.
“I think she’ll be a wonderful Richmond Award ambassador this year and certainly is incredibly well deserving.
“It has been a pleasure seeing her grow as a sailor and designer. I am very proud to have her work with the entire team at North Sails and look forward to seeing her shine even more.”
The nominating committee included Sam’s wife and 2023 award winner Ruaridh Wright.
Runners-up were: INEOS sail designer Tono Martinez and offshore and America’s Cup designer Mathieu Guillard.
Honourable mentions: Gosport-based designer Mathias Sabate, sail designer and superyacht project manager John Warren, One Design specialist Mike Marshall, North Design Suite developer Quinten Abeille, and American Magic sail designer Max Tringale.
