GB Surfing is delighted to announce Bob Kane and Tim Aylett as GB Surfing national selectors.
Robert ‘Bob’ Kane, a seasoned executive and avid surfer who most recently served as Interim Co-CEO, Chief Operating and Chief Legal Officer at the World Surf League (WSL) and the Kelly Slater Wave Company, brings his extensive industry and legal expertise to the selection committee. Bob’s impressive career spans senior legal positions at Time Warner, JPMorgan Chase, Bear Stearns, and Proskauer Rose.
Bob was pivotal in elevating the WSL into a premier global sports organization, driving significant growth in its global audience, streamlining event operations—now boasting over 190 events annually—and helping launch a groundbreaking off-platform content strategy, including collaborating with the producers of Formula 1: Drive to Survive to create the Apple TV series Make or Break.
Tim Aylett is an ISA Level 5 Judge who regularly sits on the main judging panel at European events and judges at ISA world event. He has been involved in WSL events at QS level and has been invited to attend the WSL CT next year.
He has also previously been part of the British ISA World Longboard selection process. His wealth of international judging experience and thorough understanding of what judges are looking for will give the committee a more rounded approach to selection, especially from a competition perspective.
Tim is passionate about developing young British surfers and in his spare time he uses his knowledge to provide heat analysis training. This insight is key in helping surfers gain a better understanding of what judges want to see in terms of strong, convincing manoeuvres in the critical part of the wave.
Speaking about the appointments, GB Surfing Performance Director, Dan Hunt, said: “We are delighted to bring Bob and Tim into our selection committee, both share our passion for developing young surfers and will bring a wealth of diverse knowledge about the sport to GB Surfing.
“Their appointments signal our ambition to take elite surfing forward in Britain, and as well as providing expert insight during selection, will be key sounding boards and idea generators for the GB performance programme.”
“I’m honoured to join GB Surfing as a national selector and contribute to the growth of the sport I’ve been passionate about for years,” said Bob Kane. “Surfing is at an exciting juncture, and I look forward to bringing my experience in both the business and competitive sides of the industry to help elevate Great Britain surfing talent on the global stage.”
Tim Aylett added, “I am really looking forward to joining the committee and welcome the opportunity to assist GB Surfing in developing an exciting future for British surfers.”
Bob and Tim will make up a five-person selection committee which also includes GB Surfing Executive Performance Director, Dan Hunt, Performance Coach, Luke Dillon, and Team Manager, Gwen Spurlock.
The Selection Committee will be responsible for selecting surfers onto the GB Surfing Progression Squad and British teams for Olympic Qualifiers (including the ISA World Surf Games when the event acts as a qualifier) and the Olympics and Youth Olympics.