Dame Ellen MacArthur made yachting history in 2005, when she became the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe. She remains the U.K.’s most successful offshore racer ever, having won the OSTAR, the Route du Rhum, and finishing second in the Vendée Globe.

Having become acutely aware of the finite nature of the resources on which our linear economy relies, she retired from professional sailing to launch the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010. The foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, and has helped establish the subject on the agenda of decision makers around the world.