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| 5 Minutes with..... Ian Fox | ||||
  With the annual Maui photoshoot just a few weeks away, distractions like Formula1 and powerboat racing about to start in Melbourne, and keeping up with 2 rapidly growing sons, finding time to just sit and chat with one of the busier guys in the Starboard crew gets even more difficult... After a few false starts, we finally cracked into the schedule of the guy the team know as "the General" - and cornered him for some straight shooting. A lot of your work is ‘Behind the scenes’. Can you give a brief overview of your input for Starboard? On the corporate side as Director of Starboard World Limited, I’m involved in the Group management with Starboard and also the sister brands Severne Sails and Airush where I work a lot with Clinton (Filen - Brand Manager) on the growth and commercial side of the brands within our group. We have positive visions for future growth for the group, and guiding and shaping a strong and clear corporate direction and culture is one of the key areas of my activity. On the product side I have varying involvement with R&D and testing, especially on the speed and slalom products range; there is a lot of work going on with the websites and Forums, and not forgetting the management of the annual Maui photoshoot – which over the recent years has grown to become probably the biggest and most challenging single event we undertake each year. Most guys would give anything to have the opportunity to work in the heart of a company like Starboard and enjoy the excitement of life in Bangkok, but you seem to be able to resist Thailand ? Ha, maybe I’m not most guys.. Thailand is a for sure fun place, and we have some pretty special "work" locations at Taco and Naklua, but I very much have a busy and complex life with family and commitments in Australia, which for me has even more opportunity. So for me, that’s still home – and I’m very happy with the ability to enjoy that, while still spending a reasonable amount of work time each year in Bangkok. From working out side of Thailand what is your perception on Starboard the company? It’s a very exciting and extremely dynamic company, where things move at a very fast pace – and you need to be able to think on your feet a lot of the time. To stay ahead of the game, we work under a lot of self imposed pressure, which is both challenging and productive – but probably wouldn’t or couldn’t be sustained if we were working in a less interesting industry or location/s. Many of the staff share the passion for our sports, which inevitably keeps them more involved.It’s very much a multinational company in terms of personnel and the range of our business involvement with both distributors and customers.The majority of our working staff are Thai nationals who are a remarkably loyal and polite group of people, with a culture of calm and respect in what can at times be an otherwise mayhem environment. Do you like the Starboard range produced this year and the direction they are heading with SUP boards? Yes, I think the current range in 2008 is definitely close to an optimum range for the market as it is today. Some consolidation of the freeride boards into the new Futura worked very well at both a product and distribution level, while our wave and crossover segment boards are still growing in popularity. Slalom for sure is on fire this year, while the entry and progressive boards are a real winner for both the company and customers alike. SUP is not my thing but has definitely proven to be a good move – and one where we really benefited from Svein’s relentless drive to develop and refine SUP products at an unbelievable rate over the past 12 months or so has really paid dividends. There is no doubt the SUP market is there and growing, and Starboard is really well placed with a solid range right at the head of the market. Are you still involved in the speed board program? Yes, for sure this is my thing. For the coming year, we are going all out with speed and have not held back on our commitment to a very strong program. There are some interesting changes coming along and by the end of the year, you should see Starboard with a significantly stronger profile in the speed market, both by product and by results. Can Antoine do it ? Dunno, but I know on the right day he’ll give it a massive shove, and I wouldn’t expect him to take any prisoners. Should we expect some more sailing from your kids again this year? (Laughs ) It’s up to them, we’re certainly not pushing them, just giving them the best opportunity. Carter’s into it and Tyler will follow. But those kids are so lucky to have such an incredible exposure to all kinds of other activities and sports as well - for them. they actually take windsurfing for granted, like walking - everyone does it. One day they’ll wake up and realize it really is something more special. Favourite sailing locations Windy ones ! Apart from the crowds and tourist stereo type image, Hawaii really is a great location to sail amongst phenomenal natural beauty – and really great conditions. Maui obviously tops the list for both conditions and crowding, but some of the outer islands really have some magic too. Back home I’m lucky enough to live right on one of the best sailing beaches in Melbourne – and Sandy Point just a quick blast down the highway. Favourite windsurfing memory My wife ! No seriously, there are way, way too many good moments and memories and for me, windsurfing has been an incredible life journey – with many lessons (both good and some bad) about both windsurfing and life in general learnt along the way. For sure, it’s all about the ride, but making it a good one and a long one has been the best. Favourite board Well, of course to be politically correct I have to say iSonic speed boards, but you know, my most soulful sessions come on either the PureAcid or Kombat. Well powered. And the wildcard in my pack: Serenity - escape from pressure! If you weren’t a windsurfer, what would you be ? A better Dad ! Hmmm, maybe a pilot - I really like the challenge and accuracy involved, plus really being able to lay it on the line. Whatever it was, it would be small. And fast.
 0 Comments · 5053 Reads · 
 Cherry on February 13 2008 22:46:03·
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