JAMES ROBINSON CARVES OUT
After almost eighteen years full-time and eight years of freelance for the Liquid Culture / Australian Apparel / White Room Intl group, James is moving on to focus on his artwork and his brand, Bound By Sea. “It’s been an honour and a privilege to build a brand like Carve, something I am truly proud of. It’s been a wild ride, but it’s not totally over. I will be freelancing as well as working on BBS.”
JESSE FAEN JOINS MF SOFTBOARDS TEAM
MF Softboards announced that Jesse Faen has joined the team in the USA. Jesse brings a wealth of knowledge and relationships with three decades of experience in the surf industry. His early competitive surfing morphed into the role of editor for Waves magazine in Australia at the tender age of twenty, which after a successful two-year stint, saw him editing SURFING magazine in the U.S.
From SURFING magazine, Jesse moved into the role of surfers’ representative on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP on WSL) tour in ’98, and this led in turn to a role as media director for the following six years for the ASP. Jesse continued to work with the WSL regularly, appearing as a commentator via online broadcasts and writing feature articles.
After travelling the globe extensively with the ASP (WSL), Jesse jumped at the opportunity to launch Insight in the US and ran operations for the following six years. Since finishing up with Insight, he has maintained close ties with the surf industry, working for brands such as Quiksilver and Magic seaweed, and surf resorts in El Salvador and most recently Malibu Popoyo in Nicaragua.
Jesse and his daughter Gypsy have been surfing MF Softboards for more than a year and have both been stoked with the performance. This shared experience with Gypsy inspires him to help the brand reach more people, especially parents of kids who are eager to begin their surfing lives!
MF Softboards said “Jesse is a true asset and it is a pleasure to have him on the team as brand and sales manager for the U.S.”
In Brief
- Danny Nielsen is the new Senior Buyer at General Pants. Prior to that, Danny held senior posts at SurfStitch as Senior Buyer and Category Manager, and was a co-owner of Alfred’s Apartment, which was founded on the Gold Coast in 2012 with Danny’s brothers Matt and Kris, who together had a joint vision to create a unique retail experience targeted at today’s men. Prior to that Danny was a Buyer at Surf Stitch.
- Ben Collins is the new content manager at the World Surf League (APAC), having earlier held a position as Australia news editor at LinkedIn, reporter for The Wall Street Journal and homepage editor and BBC News producer.
- Former Hurley National Sales Manager Stuart Bates has exited the company to become the Commercial Director at Arch & Hook. He’s been General Manager Merchandise at SurfStitch.com and Senior Men’s Buyer at Boardsports Retail / Billabong.
- Colin Wyatt has been promoted to Rhythm – Curated Program Head. Prior to that, Wyatt was Design Manager at Element Skateboards Australia.
- David Wall has been promoted to Group Merchandise Planner at Rip Curl.
- Former Billabong Sales Manager Luke Bennett has left Boardriders to pursue other opportunities.
