It is impossible to fathom telling the epic story of the surfing industry in Europe without mentioning the name Fred Basse.

A French surfing champion and pro windsurfer in the late 70’s and 80’s, Fred helped in laying the foundations of the industry with the launch of Quiksilver Europe and later Rip Curl, alongside François Payot.

The combination of the boom in surfing, the incredible growth of the business and the formidable efficiency of the Payot-Basse duo, quickly established Rip Curl as one of the major players of the Old continent. Fred also happened to be the initiator of the famous “Rip Curl braderie”, which would soon be copied by the competition. The key event would even indirectly but significantly contribute to the development of the Pédebert business zone in Soorts-Hossegor, and later be dubbed by Fred himself as the “largest action sports outdoor shopping center in the world“.

In this long interview, Fred tells us the story of how Rip Curl and other European brands emerged and grew in the 90’s and 2000’s. He also shared the mutations he’s witnessed in the industry, including the 2011 crisis and how it was dealt internally.

He will also tell us about his years as EuroSIMA President from 2008 to 2017: five consecutive terms through which he carried the industry’s interests to the highest levels of institutions, federated all its players through hard times and managed to infuse an energy that is widely recognised.

On a more personal level, Fred touched on his style of management and how it has evolved through the years, but also the work-life-sport balance he has managed to achieve. We will of course talk about Belharra where he was one of the first pioneers as well as how he sees big wave surfing today.

Though he is now retired from the industry, Fred still follows its evolutions and will share his take and analysis on upcoming challenges, taking the time to have a look at the past since the era of mergers and acquisitions of groups to then dive into the future and examine the challenges of things like eco-design or wave pools.

This episode is one you do not want to miss.

Enjoy the ride.

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