Inside EuroSIMA: Podcast of Fred Basse

Episode #15
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 lay the foundations of the industry with the launch of Quiksilver Europe and later Rip Curl, alongside François Payot.
The combination of a boom in surfing, incredible growth of the business and the formidable efficiency of the Payot-Basse duo, quickly established Rip Curl as one of the major players on the Old continent.
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 discusses the mutations he’s witnessed in the industry, including the 2011 crisis and how it was dealt with 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.
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!
Editorial production: EuroSIMA
Animation: Romain Ferrand / Rémi Chaussemiche
Technical production: Fred de Bailliencourt
Photo: Stéphane Robin
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