Charles Hamlin

Charles Hamlin rowed at Harvard, graduating in 1970. He competed on the US team at the 1968 Olympics in the coxless four and was also on the US national team in 1969-70, competing at the 1969 European Championships in the eight, and at the 1969 and 1970 World Championships.

Hamlin stayed in rowing after his international competitive days ended, serving as president of the Friends of Harvard Rowing for 15 years, and coaching at the Cambridge Boat Club. He also coached boys’ varsity crew at the Groton School in Connecticut. In 2014 he was named Executive Director of the National Rowing Foundation.

Hamlin has been a board member of the Norwalk River Rowing Association, Upper Thames Rowing Club (GBR), and Cambridge Boat Club, and competed in masters’ rowing events for those clubs. He and his Team Attager teammates were frequent champions at the Head of the Charles, and he often won eight or nine events at the Masters World Championships. In 2013, he set an indoor rowing world record for 2,000 meters.

After graduating with honors from Harvard in 1970, Charlie went to work for Hood Sailmakers in Marblehead, “sewing sails by the seashore.” He also competed in sailing, joining Marblehead’s International One Design fleet, and winning World Championship titles in 1979 and 1981.

During his business career Hamlin held numerous executive positions, including those at Lotus, Harvard Business School Publishing, Mercer Management Consulting, Mullen Advertising, National Family Opinion, Insight Express, and Van Wagner Media, and he was CEO and President of Cambridge Water Technology.