News release from Vestas Wind Systems A/S

Copenhagen, 01 September 2014 Page 1 of 4

Team Vestas Wind bank on mix of experience and youthful energy to get the job done

The Team Vestas Wind crew will enter the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 with a good mix of experience and young talents.

Australian skipper, Chris Nicholson, is banking on the tried and tested including two sailors with seven Volvo Ocean Races under their belts already – New Zealanders Tony Rae and Rob Salthouse – in his crew announced today.

The pair is joined by two other crew members with Race experience, Dutch navigator Wouter Verbraak and the first Argentine to be named for this year’s race, Maciel Cichetti.

Nicholson will also have plenty of new talent on board with 23-year-old Australian Tom Johnson joining Danish Volvo Ocean Race first-timers Nicolai Sehested and Peter Wibroe.

To complete the team, Irish film-maker and photographer Brian Carlin will be responsible for bringing the story of Team Vestas Wind to millions of fans around the world as Onboard Reporter.

Said Nicholson: “We need a crew with plenty of guys on board who know exactly what the Volvo Ocean Race is all about, guys who can hit the ground running and help make us competitive in the shortest time possible. And we also need a team that can gel quickly because this race more than ever before, will be about teamwork and making the right decisions together.” Nicholson continues, “We’re confident we’ve achieved just that with a mixture of huge experience in Tony Rae, Rob Salthouse and myself and guys who are ready to learn from them like Nicolai Sehested and Peter Wibroe. Vestas’ core business values of accountability, simplicity and collaboration are spot on for what we’re trying to achieve with our crew. If we can show those qualities under the extreme pressure of the Volvo Ocean Race we’ll do just fine.”

Vestas’ Chief Marketing Officer, Morten Albæk, says: “I am very satisfied that Chris has succeeded in putting together such a strong crew with a good combination of experience and young talents from different parts of the world. Obviously, we are also delighted to give our two young Danish sailors, Nicolai Sehested and Peter Wibroe, the chance to learn from such an experienced skipper as Chris.”

The line-up in full with their - and human - credentials:

Chris Nicholson (Australia) Role: Skipper DOB: 18/06/1969 Age: 45 Nickname: Nico Nico has competed in the Volvo Ocean Race four times. He has represented Australia at the Sydney

Vestas Wind Systems A/S Hedeager 44, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark Tel: +45 9730 0000, Fax: +45 9730 0001, [email protected], www.vestas.com Bank: Nordea Bank Danmark A/S, Reg. No.: 2100, Account No.: DKK 0651 117097 - EUR 5005 677997 Company Reg. No.: 10 40 37 82 Company Reg. Name: Vestas Wind Systems A/S

Copenhagen, 01 September 2014 Page 2 of 4

and Athens Olympics and is a six-time world champion. He’s cool under pressure and one of the sport’s nice guys – but underneath there’s a fierce competitor. He finished second last time in 2011-12 as skipper of CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand. Other Interesting Fact: Fourth time around the world. Was an electrician by trade and was once a miner. Family: Partner + two sons + one dog + two horses + two chickens

Nicolai Sehested (Danish) Role: Trimmer and boat captain DOB: 06/11/1989 Age: 24 Nicolai has a solid background in match racing having recently competed in the SAP Extreme 40 series. One of the shining stars in Danish sailing. He’s got a big job for a young man but he has an old head on those young shoulders. Other Interesting Fact: Grew up on a farm and is a keen hunter. Family: Parents + two older sisters

Peter Wibroe (Danish) Role: Hellman’s trimmer, data processing and food. DOB: 24/05/1985 Age: 29 Pete also has a solid background in match racing. He was a crew member of the SAP Extreme 40 and has competed in the and RC 44. Pete has a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences with a master’s degree in nanotechnology. Other Interesting Fact: Growing up, he always wanted to be a musician, and his biggest talent was his ability to sleep during transportation – let’s hope he can stay awake on the boat! Pete’s bachelor of nanotechnology thesis topic was: “Exploring encapsulation efficiency in single vesicles by passive transport across bilayers around phase transition”. (Amazing!) Family: Parents + one brother + one sister

Tony Rae (New Zealand) Role: Hellman’s trimmer, medic, sail maker. DOB: 26/06/1961 Age: 53 Nickname: Trae Trae has competed in the Volvo Ocean race four times. He has been a member of Team NZ since 1987 and has been with Team NZ for all seven America’s Cup campaigns. He is one of the most respected men in the sport of sailing and if all goes wrong, he boasts a singing voice to cheer up his crewmates. He’s the front man for the Volvo Ocean Race rock band. Other Interesting Fact: Had two cats but had to sell them because he was doing this race. Family: Wife + two daughters

Rob Salthouse (New Zealand) Role: Watch captain, driver, trimmer, sail maker. DOB: 05/12/1965 Age: 48 Nickname: Salty Salty has competed in three Volvo Ocean Races, four America Cup Regatta’s with Team New Zealand, eight Sydney-to-Hobart races and five Atmel Cup races. Knows the sport inside out and will

Vestas Wind Systems A/S Hedeager 44, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark Tel: +45 9730 0000, Fax: +45 9730 0001, [email protected], www.vestas.com Bank: Nordea Bank Danmark A/S, Reg. No.: 2100, Account No.: DKK 0651 117097 - EUR 5005 677997 Company Reg. No.: 10 40 37 82 Company Reg. Name: Vestas Wind Systems A/S

Copenhagen, 01 September 2014 Page 3 of 4 be once again Nico’s rock on board after sailing with him in 2011-12 on CAMPER. Other Interesting Fact: This will be his fourth lap around the world. Family: Wife + two daughters + one son

Tom Johnson (Australia) Role: Hellman’s trimmer and bowman and sail maker. DOB: 23/02/1991 Age: 23 Nickname: Don Don is the youngest on board Team Vestas. He has recently competed in the SAP Extreme 40 Sailing series and has a strong background in and sailing. Nico predicts his background on high performance dinghies will help him develop into one of the fastest drivers on board Team Vestas Wind. Other Interesting Fact: He grew up in Mandurah in Western Australia and when not sailing, he surfs, skates and goes camping. Family: Parents + one sister

Wouter Verbraak (Dutch) Role: Navigator. DOB: 16/11/1975 Age: 38 Wouter has competed in the Volvo Ocean Race twice, the America’s Cup, the 2011 Barcelona World Race and all world major regattas. Other Interesting Fact: Wouter loves skiing with his family. Unfortunately missing out on this year’s skiing means he will never keep up with his 10 year old son’s 93km/hr skiing! Family: Wife + one son + one dog

Maciel Cichetti (Argentinean) Role: Watch captain, Driver, Trimmer DOB: 24/09/1973 Age: 40 Nickname: Cicho Cicho has a wealth of experience across the Volvo Ocean Race and Americas Cup. He is a World Champion in the RC 44 sailing class and a highly sought after trimmer in the TP 52’s. His experience of one-design sailing with the TP 52s, Melges should be invaluable. Other Interesting Fact: Born in Argentina, married a Swede, has three children who were all born in different cities around the world. Favourite pastime includes watching rugby with his son, enjoying “asados” (Argentinean barbeques) with friends and (if time permits) trekking in the mountains. Family: Wife + two daughters + one son

Brian Carlin (Irish) Role: On Board Reporter (OBR). DOB: 05/01/1984 Age: 30 Brian has a long history in film and photography in the sailing arena in both match racing and America’s Cup. He is responsible for all media content received from on board the boat and also responsible for food. He’s an Irishman so he’s a born communicator who has already made himself popular with the crew. Let’s hope he can cook well too! Other Interesting Fact: He is also an Architect! He would live in South East Asia if he had the chance. Family: Parents + one brother (who is a chef!)

Vestas Wind Systems A/S Hedeager 44, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark Tel: +45 9730 0000, Fax: +45 9730 0001, [email protected], www.vestas.com Bank: Nordea Bank Danmark A/S, Reg. No.: 2100, Account No.: DKK 0651 117097 - EUR 5005 677997 Company Reg. No.: 10 40 37 82 Company Reg. Name: Vestas Wind Systems A/S

Copenhagen, 01 September 2014 Page 4 of 4

We invite you to follow the Team’s preparation and progress throughout their journey on http://teamvestaswind.vestas.com or via our Social Media channels:

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamvestaswind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teamvestaswind  Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeamVestasWind  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/teamvestaswind  Instagram: http://instagram.com/teamvestaswind

About Vestas Every single day, Vestas wind turbines deliver clean energy that supports the global fight against climate change. Wind power from Vestas’ more than 51,000 wind turbines currently reduces carbon emissions by over 60 million tons of CO2 every year, while at the same time building energy security and independence.

Vestas has delivered wind energy in 73 countries, providing jobs for around 17,500 passionate people at our service and project sites, research facilities, factories and offices all over the world. With 52 per cent more megawatts installed than our closest competitor and more than 60 GW of cumulative installed capacity worldwide, Vestas is the world leader in wind energy.

About Volvo Ocean Race The Volvo Ocean Race is the world's pre-eminent round-the-world yacht race and one of the most coveted prizes in the sport.

The 12th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will start on October 4, 2014, the day of the first In-Port Race in Alicante, Spain, and finish with one last In-Port Race on June 27, 2015 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The 38,739-nautical mile route will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajaí (Brazil), Newport (Rhode Island, USA), Lisbon (Portugal), Lorient (France) and a 24-hour pit-stop in The Hague (Netherlands) on the final leg to Gothenburg (Sweden).

Over 3 million visitors are expected to visit the race villages in the harbour stopovers while the official live stream channel is expected to record over 7 million views.

For further information please contact:

Morten Kamp Jørgensen Director, Communications & PR, Team Vestas Wind Tel.: +45 2237 1433 Email: [email protected]

Vestas Wind Systems A/S Hedeager 44, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark Tel: +45 9730 0000, Fax: +45 9730 0001, [email protected], www.vestas.com Bank: Nordea Bank Danmark A/S, Reg. No.: 2100, Account No.: DKK 0651 117097 - EUR 5005 677997 Company Reg. No.: 10 40 37 82 Company Reg. Name: Vestas Wind Systems A/S