The national body supporting British surfing across elite pathways, international competition and Olympic ambition.
GB Surfing supports British surfing at elite, Olympic and international competition level.
Formed through collaboration between the surfing federations of England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, GB Surfing connects athlete development, squad pathways and British team selection, while working alongside the Home Nations who continue to lead grassroots participation and domestic competition.
To support elite pathways, manage British team selection and develop elite surfers to compete and succeed in international competition.
Surfing has the power to improve wellbeing, connect communities and inspire positive change. Through our commitment to inclusion, equality and sustainability, GB Surfing works to ensure the sport remains accessible, welcoming and responsible – both in and out of the water.
Head of Operations
Will is responsible for overseeing the business operations of GB Surfing. Reporting directly to the Board, Will also is the Accountable Officer to UK Sport. Will started his career in the communications team at Sky Sports before joining PR and social media agency, Soapbox London.
Team Manager
Gwen was a competitive surfer for Wales and Great Britain, winning 4 Welsh titles, 4 GB junior titles, and 3 National Tour titles. In 2015, she transitioned into coaching, soon becoming Head Coach and then Manager for Wales. She was appointed the Joint Head Coach for the GB team in the first Olympic Qualifier in 2019. Gwen brings an enthusiasm for high performance surfing to the team, and hopes to help GB Surfing develop a world-class programme over the next 10 years.
Performance Coach
Luke is making the transition to coaching from competing as one of GB’s most successful ever surfers – a 2x British National Champion, 4x English Champion, European Junior Tour winner and a Top 20 ISA World Games finisher. He will oversee the day-to-day coaching of the Progression Squad, lead on all UK based training activity, squad planning for the winter camps, and athlete reviews. He will also play a lead role in the preparation for the 2024 ISA World Surf Games in Puerto Rico and beyond.
Head of Performance
Mick is a world-renowned surf performance coach and former Quiksilver Global Junior Development Coach, where he helped develop Australian junior talent. Alongside GB Surfing, he is Founder of the Surf Performance Institute in Australia, specialising in repeatable, athlete-led high-performance systems. Over the past 20 years, Mick has developed athletes including Matt Banting, Noa Deane and many of Australia’s top juniors, and continues to work with Soli Bailey, Winter Vincent and Jai Glindeman.
Chair
Vicky joined the Board of British Surfing in 2022 as Chair. She is currently the Chief Executive of GB Snowsport, Founder of the Rugby Centurions, and sits on the British Olympic Association board. Vicky previously served for 21 years in the RAF, reaching the prestigious rank of Group Captain. She launched the Invictus Games in 2014, going on to be Chief Executive of the second Invictus Games in Orlando in 2016.
Non-Executive Director
Hugo has over 25 years of commercial and marketing experience in the consumer goods industry. He is the former Chief Executive of Start-Rite and has held senior leadership roles at companies including Superdry and Marks & Spencer. Alongside his role on the GB Surfing board, Hugo is also an INED at Inspecs Plc. He is an enthusiastic beginner surfer, with two far more talented surfing children, and is a strong advocate for sustainability and the physical and mental health benefits of the sea.
Non-Executive Director
Rhys is Senior Vice President for Platform & Content at sports media and technology company OneFootball. He previously spent five years as Head of International Content Strategy & Acquisitions at Meta and has held leadership positions at Comcast NBCUniversal, DAZN and The Football Association. Rhys is a respected commentator on the changing face of the media & tech sector, having been recognised by Leaders Sports Awards as one of the world’s top 30 sports leaders aged under 40.
Non-Executive Director
Simon is a Principal at Bond Trust Limited and joins the GB Surfing Board as Treasurer. Trained at PwC, Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He also went on to be one of the founding partners of Sanne Group Plc. Simon is a keen surfer and helped establish the Jersey Surfboard Club Junior Academy, as well as managing the Channel Islands Surf Team at ISA and ESF competitions worldwide.
Non-Executive Director
Dave has 30 plus years of experience in the sport and leisure industry. He is currently Director of Consulting with an industry leading sport and leisure consultancy company. Previously, he spent 14 years as the CEO of a large leisure charity. He has also been the Independent Chair of Wycombe Wanderers FC Foundation, Chair of British Surfing, Vice Chair of Sports Leaders UK, Trustee of the Sports Council Trust Company, and a Board Member of the Football Foundation Grants Panel.
Non Executive Director
A member of surfing governance at Welsh, British and European levels since 1983, Huw brings over 50 years of experience to the board. He is proud to have been part of the development of competitive surfing, at home and abroad, and will continue to strive for honest and democratic solutions to all the opportunities that the future of surfing may bring.
Surf England Representative
Ben is the CEO of Surfing England, overseeing events, coaching, clubs, talent development and more. Previous to joining Surfing England he worked for 20 years in the clean tech sector. He brings a combination of sound commercial approach and strong commitment to the surfing community and athletes to the British Surfing Board. A passionate surfer himself, he loves sharing the stoke of surfing with the next generation.
Scottish Surfing Federation Representative
William has had a leading role in the SSF since 2005 and was one of the founders in British Surfing in 2019. In his professional life, William works as an operations and engineering manager. Having spent a large part of his early career working offshore, he went on to manage a number of teams delivering projects and operations in the UK, Albania, and Australia.
Channel Islands Surfing Representative
Arlene’s extensive competitive, amateur, and professional surfing career includes winning 2 British Titles, the European Championships, and being selected for the World Games by Team GB on 3 occasions. She pioneered women’s surfing in an era when the sport was predominantly male. She brings to the board her wealth of surfing knowledge which spans over 45 years, and a passion for equality.