Meet the Team
Meet some of the people behind the RYANI and find out what we do
Greg Yarnall
Chief Executive Officer
Greg joined the RYA Northern Ireland from Table Tennis England where he was Director of Development. Greg has worked in the not-for-profit sector for his whole career and played and coached table tennis alongside this- representing England Schools as a 17-year-old and coaching several England junior and senior international players. He is also a Board Director at Disability Sport NI. Greg does not come from a sailing background but has enjoyed experiencing racing the Sonata, River and Glen Class since starting in the role.
Email: Greg.yarnall@rya.org.uk
Phone: 07795 466624
Kate Broderick
Pathways Officer
Kate started her profession within sailing as a Senior Instructor at Ballyholme Yacht Club, progressing on to work for RYA Scotland as the Performance Sailing Officer in 2020. Kate's experience of working within the performance pathway and supporting sailor development shines through her role as Pathways Officer within NI.
Email: kate.broderick@rya.org.uk
Phone: 07557042363
Gayle Lavery
Executive Assistant
Gayle has worked for RYA NI for 13 years and has significant experience in Northern Irish sporting circles having previously worked for Sport NI. In her spare time, she does volunteer youth work. Within her role she looks after finance, governance and safeguarding.
Email: gayle.lavery@rya.org.uk
Phone: 02891 827154
Lisa McCaffrey
Active Clubs Coordinator
As Active Clubs Coordinator, Lisa supports affiliated clubs on club development including participation programmes, club development plans, membership, funding opportunities, workshops and more. She has a strong sporting background and has 63 international caps playing netball for Northern Ireland. This includes 2 World Cups and 2 Commonwealth games (Glasgow & Gold Coast).
Email: lisa.mccaffrey@rya.org.uk
Phone: 07788238083
Mary Martin
Workforce Development Officer
Mary started with the RYA in 2009 coming from a background of youth performance sailing and coaching and instructing around the province. Now she has returned to racing in the Sonata fleet. Contact her if you want to know about RYA instructor courses or training schemes and race coaching. She also works with clubs to develop volunteering programmes.
Email: mary.martin@rya.org.uk
Phone: 07919 923018
Peter Gilmore
Marketing and Communications Executive
Peter is the most recent addition to the RYA NI team, joining us in November 2023. He has previous experience as a journalist with UTV and ITV Wales, but also has an in-depth knowledge of sailing following his experience on RYA junior and youth squads and his crossings of The Atlantic Ocean between 2019-2020.
Email: peter.gilmore@rya.org.uk
Phone: 07391059963
Andrew Baker
Performance Manager
Andrew (better known as Hammy) grew up on the waters of Strangford Lough and was a member of the RYANI Topper and ILCA Squad. His big break in sailing came when he got accepted into the Artemis Offshore Academy to be part of the 2015 squad. He then raced two seasons in the professional Figaro Offshore Circuit. Since then, he has worked as a professional sailor but has returned based in Northern Ireland as Performance Manger for the RYANI where he looks to support and develop the next generation of NI Sailors.
Email: Andrew.baker@org.uk
Phone: 07384 253526