Date of birth: 28 May 1981

In 2020, Boris Herrmann became the first German to compete in the Vendée Globe, racing solo non-stop around the world and finishing 5th, an achievement widely covered in German and international media. He has completed six circumnavigations: doublehanded, fully-crewed, and solo. These include the 2009 Portimao Global Ocean Race, the 2010 Barcelona World Race, a 2015–16 Jules Verne Trophy attempt, the Vendée Globe in 2020–21 and 2024–25, and The Ocean Race 2022–23, where he and his team finished 3rd overall, winning two legs. In 2025, he took part in The Ocean Race Europe for the first time, starting on home waters in Kiel, Germany. In 2026, he is leading his crew in the inaugural The Ocean Race Atlantic, their first race aboard Team Malizia’s new race yacht.

Boris Herrmann, who studied economics and sustainable management at the University of Bremen, is an unwavering champion of climate action and a sought-after speaker on sustainability. Over the past decade, he and his team have combined elite offshore racing with a bold climate and science mission under the banner “A Race We Must Win – Climate Action Now!”: raising awareness, educating children globally, and collecting vital Ocean data. As an outspoken advocate, he uses his platform to urge the public to act now in the face of the climate crisis.