#269 Chris Mater — Red Bull, Surfing Australia & Founding the Surfing Super League

This week I sat down with Chris Mater, and this one is a masterclass in building a career by backing yourself at every turn.

Chris started out as a professional skier before landing one of the most exciting jobs in sport — becoming one of Red Bull's first ever employees in Australia. He spent nearly 20 years with the brand, growing it from the ground up in Australia before heading to the United States to take on even bigger roles. Few people in the world understand action sports business at the level Chris does.

From there he stepped into the top job at Surfing Australia, serving as CEO for five years and helping shape the future of the sport at a national level. And now he has created something that has the whole Australian surfing community talking — the Surfing Super League, a brand new competition format set to change the landscape of surfing in this country.

This is a conversation about building a life in industries you love, what it takes to lead at the highest level, and what the Surfing Super League means for the future of Australian surfing.

In this episode we cover:

His journey as a professional skierBecoming one of Red Bull's first employees in AustraliaNearly 20 years building Red Bull across Australia and the United StatesWhat made Red Bull's culture so differentBecoming CEO of Surfing AustraliaFive years shaping the future of surfing at a national levelCreating the Surfing Super LeagueWhat the Super League means for Australian surfingLessons from a career built at the intersection of sport and business

Follow Chris

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/materman1/

Linked In

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjmater/?isSelfProfile=false

Surfing Super League