Dame Ellen MacArthur first entered the public spotlight when she broke the world record for the fastest global sail in 2005. She was already known in sailing circles since she’d sailed her boat around the British Isles when she was 17. She was named the British Telecom Royal Yachting Association “Yachtsman of the Year” in 1998. She’s even got an asteroid named after her, Asteroid 20043 Ellenmacarthur.
Why They Made the Worthy 100: Not for sailing but for the impressive work as a philanthropist and activist. She founded the Ellen MacArthur Trust in 2003 to help young people between 8 and 24 regain confidence during cancer and leukemia recovery through sailing. She also helped raise £4 million for the Rainbow children’s hospice in 2008. In 2009 she founded the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a U.K.-registered charity that promotes a circular economy to help the fight against climate change. In 2022, the Foundation partnered with an Italian non-profit, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI). The two organizations launched a new awards program to help bring a circular design to the Italian
fashion industry.
