WSL CEO Paul Speaker quits

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

In a surprise move Paul Speaker has quit as CEO of the World Surf League. The reason it comes as a surprise is outlined by Speaker himself in his parting message (see below). It had been his aim to step down and "pass the baton" to an incoming CEO "at the right time". Instead he's departing as CEO and leaving the position empty. WSL benefactor Dirk Ziff will work as interim CEO till a new person is found.

It's easy to be skeptical of this latest development, the lack of a replacement suggests a hasty move. However, Speaker will remain as co-owner of the WSL and will work with them till a replacement is found, which would indicate a harmonious exit. Also, the timing, midway between the end of one season and start of another, which causes the least amount of dispruption.

For better or worse, Paul Speaker was at the helm when professional surfing underwent the largest changes in the sport's history.

To the WSL community:

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with family and friends, and is looking forward to 2017. For many of us, the turning of the calendar is a time for reflection, and sometimes, a time for decisions.

Holding co-ownership and CEO positions at the World Surf League over the last five years has been an incredible honor for me. It has also been an awesome task that has required long hours, heavy travel and family sacrifice. It has always been my intention to pass the baton to someone at the right time to lead the next phase of what we have all created. I believe that time is now. With the acquisition of the Kelly Slater Wave Company, we are at a remarkable inflection point in the League's history and we are ready for a new leader who can guide the organization to even greater accomplishments.

It is with this in mind that I have decided to step down as the CEO of the WSL at the end of January. I will continue to be a co-owner of the League and will work with the ownership group and Board of Directors to ensure a smooth transition until a new CEO is in place. As many of you are aware, Dirk Ziff has been a deeply committed and passionate co-owner of our League and he has agreed to bring that commitment to the role of interim CEO until a new chief executive is brought on board. Dirk and I have a close and collaborative partnership and will work together on a seamless transition.

Nearly five years ago, I journeyed to Australia to meet with the Board of Directors of what was then called the Association of Surfing Professionals to raise the audacious idea of an acquisition. Since the transaction was completed some months later, I have done my best to build an organization with a best-in-class product and culture. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to oversee the transformation of professional surfing into the globally-recognized sport it is today. I have been privileged to share this journey with a great and committed group of people, and I owe so much to all of you who have worked tirelessly to elevate this sport to new heights. Your passion and dedication brought us to where we are today, and will be the driving force of our future success.

Among our many accomplishments together are: the remarkable increase in fan engagement; the highly professional quality of the broadcast; our stellar event production; the various athlete development programs, and the introduction of the sport to a new group of non-endemic corporate partners.

The commitment to our athletes in and out of the water has led us to many firsts for surfing, including: a pension plan for our athletes; the creation of the commissioner's office to secure the integrity of the sport; prize-purse parity between the men and the women of our championship tour, and the first multi-year surfers' agreement.

The WSL has pioneered new technologies and digital strategies that have been ahead of the curve, and have led to recognition throughout the sports industry as a first-mover in many areas. With a focus on the fan, surfing is now enjoyed on multiple media platforms around the globe, through traditional broadcast, but most frequently on our mobile app, website, and social media channels. We have also acknowledged the global nature of our sport by delivering our live event broadcast in English, French, Portuguese and Japanese.

I am incredibly excited for our future. The Kelly Slater Wave Company offers a tremendous and unprecedented opportunity for the League to dramatically shift the landscape of high-performance surfing around the world with guaranteed conditions, total fairness for the competitors, greatly enhanced live viewing, and major television coverage at a scheduled time. Our sport's inclusion in the 2020 Olympics is a testament to the continuing rise of surfing as a global participatory and spectator sport, and will allow WSL athletes to represent and compete for their countries for the first time ever on arguably the greatest sporting stage in the world.

I have enjoyed working with all of you more than you could ever imagine and now I am going to enjoy being a co-owner and a fan and spending time with my family who have been incredibly supportive over the last five years. I will miss you all dearly. You are a dynamic, committed and fun group that in many ways have become an extended family. Please keep up the incredible work.

See you at the beach.

Paul

Comments

yocal's picture
yocal's picture
yocal Thursday, 12 Jan 2017 at 9:55am

Reading into the story, If he is making an exit because of family commitments, what a great man he is.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Thursday, 12 Jan 2017 at 10:04am

Not detracting from his predecessors but I think pro surfing is arguably a better product overall since it's transition into the WSL. A whole lot more sanitized but from a viewers perspective, much better.

When a person in a high profile role rolls out the 'wanting to devote more time to the family' line, just like when politicians use the same, I can't help but be a little sceptical though.

matt79's picture
matt79's picture
matt79 Thursday, 12 Jan 2017 at 12:12pm

if only he could take jo turdpel with him , surfing and surfing commentary would be a lot better off

belly's picture
belly's picture
belly Thursday, 12 Jan 2017 at 12:27pm

Mentioned KS Wave Co twice, sounding like a future event.

lost's picture
lost's picture
lost Thursday, 12 Jan 2017 at 1:08pm

100%. And I would suggest more than one event.

lost's picture
lost's picture
lost Thursday, 12 Jan 2017 at 1:14pm

Ummmm "Guaranteed conditions and total fairness" that may be true if a event in a wave pool but misses the whole point of surfing. Reading the conditions, working with the waves, picking the right wave, sitting in the right place, being in the ocean, moving on a unpredictable moving ocean - it the only sport where the athlete and the surface move. These are the things that make surfing great. Sure we would all love to not see comps in shite conditions but that can be achieved by better locations, smaller competitor number or less rounds. I fear pool comps even in a really good pool will look like half pipe skateboarding - fun to watch for a few mins but generally pretty boring. Ps I'd still like to have a go at KS's pool :)

blindboy's picture
blindboy's picture
blindboy Friday, 13 Jan 2017 at 8:12pm

Oh brave new world! Olympics. Wave pools everywhere. Squadrons of highly trained performing groms pulling pulling triple saltos all the way down the line. And all adding up to, a quite literal trip to the shallow end of the pool. Good luck with that boys. For the rest, keep your hard earned in your pocket. This will end up as cool as a week in Singapore!

swab's picture
swab's picture
swab Friday, 13 Jan 2017 at 8:49pm

This will end up as cool as a week in Singapore! haha great line bb.

dimdim's picture
dimdim's picture
dimdim Saturday, 14 Jan 2017 at 10:59pm

Suzy Ley might be interested in this job. She has a bit of spare time on her hands apparently.