艾伦·麦克阿瑟发游艇的历史在2005年，当她成为速度最快的独奏水手环绕地球。她仍然是英国最成功的车手近海曾经在24岁时赢得了OSTAR车和路线都朗姆酒和名列第二的旺代环球。Having become acutely aware of the finite nature of the resources our linear economy relies upon, she stepped away from professional sailing to launch the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010, which works with education, business and government to accelerate the transition to a regenerative circular economy. The foundation has published seminal macro-economic reports featuring analysis by McKinsey, which have received accolades at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

MacArthur acts as Vice-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Meta-Council on the circular economy, and has sat on the European Commission’s Resource Efficiency Platform between 2012 and 2014. She received the French Legion of Honour from President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008, three years after having been knighted.