Uli Sommerlatt
R&D Manager, Southern Spars
As R&D Manager at Southern Spars, Uli Sommerlatt leads the development and adoption of new technologies across Southern Spars and the wider North Technology Group.
A qualified naval architect and boatbuilder with more than 25 years in the industry, Uli spent a decade in performance yacht design at judel/vrolijk & co. He then joined Oracle Racing, working at Core Builders Composites on the AC50 build programme that produced the race boats for ORACLE TEAM USA and SoftBank Team Japan for the 35th America’s Cup, followed by involvement in the early stages of SailGP.
He later joined the founding team of North Action Sports Group, combining his design, engineering and manufacturing experience with product and IP development as the business grew into one of the leading names in water action sports.
At Southern Spars, he identifies emerging technologies and takes them from concept to sea, developing the next generation of rig and sail handling systems, designed to expand what is possible in yacht design.