Georgina Menheneott – living a life less ordinary

She’s rowed for GB, had her paper presented to the United Nations, been ‘spotted’ as a Dove girl and now fronts Burgess’ ESG and mentoring programmes, as well as her day job… It seems that there is nothing our Burgess Partner and Regional Development Manager can’t do when she turns her mind to it

Getting afloat seems to be a theme in your life – have you always loved the water?

I grew up messing around on boats big and small on the south coast of England. Dad was in the Royal Marines, so we moved every few years to another coastal base, and boats were the common factor. Trips on our 28ft family sailing boat included all of us and a dog aboard – it taught us to get along quite well.

I remember taking the RYA 2 sailing course when I was about 10 years old, which isn’t uncommon except that I did the course with the Marines. I was partnered with a Dutch guy, and we were manoeuvring our Bosun sailing dinghy in the Plymouth Sound when he said, ‘Look at that,’ then he leant over and scooped up a 6ft long conger eel… thankfully it was dead.

That sounds character building!

I do like to push myself. When I went to Uni and realised sailing wasn’t an option, I fronted up to the rowing club and asked if I could have a go. They said I had the shoulders, so why not!

Rowing gives your life structure – the training is demanding, even as an amateur I was on the river at 6am most mornings. When I was training two or three times daily, normally around my regular work.

In the winter I would sleep in my Lycra and just pile on more layers in the morning – to help get myself out of the house in time. The reward was the peace and headspace that came from rowing a single scull as the sun rose over the Thames.

Did you have to choose between rowing for GB and career?

I was very fortunate to be working with Burgess by then, and the company supported me. They sponsored me, and I sent back updates on my progress.

I was a member of a small rowing club in Mortlake, and I had two amazing coaches, Piers Robinson and Ian Roots. Ian said, ‘just try and see how far you can go.’ Their mentoring gave me the momentum I needed to break into the Leander Club and eventually the national squad. I have no regrets.

You won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games…

It was a surprise to be selected for England and then get into the GB Team. I loved the training, but it was intense, and I was quite old to be coming to it. At that level in sport, it is all about the marginal gains.

I won silver at the 2007 World Cup and would have liked to row at the Olympics as well, but in the end I was a reserve, losing a seat race by 1.3 seconds. The selection process comes down to the smallest of margins - the Women's Eight qualified for the Olympic Games with 0.2 seconds to spare.

Rowing must have left a hole when you stepped back

It did, but two things happened: I followed my ambition of working for a Think Tank and wrote a paper that was presented to the United Nations in Geneva. This was a dream I’d had since I did my MA in International Relations.

Then I was ‘spotted’ by scouts for the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ campaign. It seemed to involve going to a spa for a weekend and then parading on TV in your underwear. It didn’t come off in the end, sadly.

Dove’s loss, Burgess’ gain!

I do seem to have worked my way through most Burgess departments since then! Getting itchy feet every two or three years has given me the overview of the company that I need to set up and develop Burgess’ regional offices.

You also head up Burgess’ mentorship programme

I understand how pivotal a mentor can be in life. I wish that I had more guidance at times, especially in the transition from rowing to ‘normal’ life. As a company Burgess can offer so much - by mentoring and partnering with the industry's social impact platform Legasea, we are giving the next generation a hand up when they need it, and we’re living our company values of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Tells us a bit about Burgess ESG…

ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) does what it says on the tin. Our industry needs to step up and show that we do 'give a damn’ about the impact we have on the environment – and so that is what Burgess is doing.

The Covid lockdowns showed us that nature can and will bounce back if given a chance. We had birds of prey nesting at the top of our building in Monaco – unheard of before. The message is clear – give nature a chance and it will amaze us.

So, we are working with Blue Marine Foundation, a charity that is making real, measurable changes to our oceans. Every Burgess charter or brokerage or new-build or yacht management client can say that they are part of that.

We are also paying a marine conservation fee on all company travel in 2022. Now more than ever we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard – so we are.

What’s next?

The brakes are off after Covid – going from zero to 60 on every front! But first it is school holidays, and I am going skiing with my family.

Work hard, play hard!

There is so much to do in life – why limit yourself?

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