With a childhood spent "mucking about in boats", it was inevitable that Sean Scott would end up involved in marine life, one way or another. Sean was brought up by the harbour in Portrush, Co. Antrim, one of the prettiest ports on the Causeway Coast. His father John was the Honorary Secretary of the local lifeboat station for many years, his mother Fay a leading light in the Ladies' Guild.

Although he admits, with a wry grin, that he is "not a huge sailor", Sean says the salt is definitely in his veins, having spent much of his free time canoeing, rowing and fishing.

After completing his A-levels, Sean studied for a BSc (Hons) in Maritime Studies at Liverpool Polytechnic. An unusual degree, Maritime Studies has a wide range of subjects, including maritime law, port operations and general knowledge of the shipping industry and how it works.

From there, Sean completed the obligatory period in Australia for new graduates and went on to live in Liverpool, working on the UK/West African conference and later managing International Supply Chain Logistics for Ford Motor Co. He then moved to Belfast to work for the Heyn Group, managing a variety of areas in the commercial shipping sector, including Import/Export and Ships' agency.

After getting married in 2004, Sean spent "a year and a week" travelling around the world, living and working in the French Alps in the ski industry, walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain and visiting places as far afield as South America the US and the Far East.

However, he could not bear to be parted from the sea, and "connected with the sea again" upon his return in 2005, when he found a new role as Director of the Celtic European Festival of the Sea 2006.

The festival, a huge two-week event taking place in the area between Malin in Co. Donegal and Carnlough in Co. Antrim, was the biggest Maritime festival of its kind, with over 300 separate events involved.

Sean spent most of 2007 back in France, setting up a business providing accommodation and services for skiers and hikers in the French Pyrenees.

However, he returned to Ireland when he heard of the vacancy with Let's Do It Ireland and the Volvo Ocean Race.

"I found out about it initially through a sailing contact; it was a chance to get back into the marine field again. Number one was the fact that the Volvo Ocean Race is the premier event of its kind in the world and number two was the opportunity to live and work in Galway itself. I've come here every year since 1991 and it feels a very 'natural' place to be – the lifestyle suits!"

Sean says he was drawn to Galway because the city invokes one of his other big passions – a love of music. He is already a regular at The Crane bar ("the best venue in Galway") and loves traditional and other live music. Having escaped being caught up in the Tsunami in the Far East in 2004 by a single day, Sean believes it is " very important to strive to find a balance between work and play and to try to keep all things in perspective as part of the bigger picture". "I find it very easy to enjoy myself here when I'm not working!" he says.