Luke Madden is the CEO of Surfing NSW at just 27 years of age. His aim? To better the sport of surfing by simplifying event systems and promoting the healthy surf lifestyle. In this age of digital disruption, Luke is taking advantage of wave technology in order to bring surfing beyond the coast.
John: Well, I am here at Sydney’s Maroubra Beach with Luke Madden. Luke is the CEO of Surfing NSW at just 27 years of age—the organization that connects recreational surfing in our state to the World Championship Tour. Its mission is to promote a healthy surf lifestyle and culture for the benefit of all. Luke is a remarkable example of a contemporary leader: empathic, deeply customer-centric, and focused on culture. He is navigating a world of disruption, taking a not-for-profit organization from strength to strength. Luke, welcome to Customers Matter.
Luke: I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.
John: Luke, it is remarkable enough that you are leading your organization at such a young age. It is even more remarkable how long you have been working for the business. Can you tell me how and when you got involved in surf administration?
Luke: Yes. In 2017, I have been here for nine and a half years. I started with an internship, then transitioned to working just a couple of days a week while I was at university. Opportunities arose, and I joined the office full-time. I moved from event management to General Manager and now CEO. It has been nine years now, which is pretty amazing. I have been learning many different facets of the business and am stoked to be able to run the show now and take surfing to the next level.
John: You came in off the back of a love for surfing. When and how did you get into surfing in the first place, and how did that lead to working in the business?
Luke: I have surfed my whole life, since I was about nine or ten, which these days is considered late. We are running events now for five- and six-year-olds who have been surfing for four years! I started with “Learn to Surf.” My father has always been an amazing surfer, and I can credit my whole career to him because he got me into surfing, along with soccer and cricket. I got into boardriders clubs. I remember doing boardriders and soccer and having to try to coordinate the soccer grand finals with the surfing finals. As I got older, I realized I loved the administration side of it. Straight out of school, I went to study for an events diploma in sport management. I loved the events side of it. When I linked that to the competitions I was already participating in, it all clicked. I ended up doing a commerce degree at university. Throughout that time, I started working on the administrative side for Surfing NSW at events. There is a massive passion for surfing, so the administration came easily. It did not seem like a job at the start, and then it really clicked. It introduced me to some significant mentors who elevated my career early on.
John: Could you explain for people who might not be familiar with the world of surfing how the support works in Australia and what career opportunities are open to people within it? A lot of people confuse surfing and Surf Life Saving, for instance.
Luke: What we do here at Surfing NSW, Surfing Australia, and all the state bodies, is administer the sport of surfing. That includes shortboarding, longboarding, bodyboarding, stand-up paddleboarding, and kneeboarding. It is a competitive pathway to the World Titles in that sport. We also help out the surf schools and the boardrider clubs, which run their own businesses and volunteer organizations. We provide them with insurance and affiliation so they can work with different councils. It is a massive amateur sport that is largely event-based, but we are now starting to work with different government agencies on education. We are also working with Surf Life Saving. Many people bring that up, and we have now formed a solid partnership with them because surfers are actually saving lives in the water as well. Now it is not just the events; it is education, accrediting surfers to become surf coaches, and training people to become judges. There is a wide range of administrative opportunities as well as casual jobs like coaching in surf schools.
John: I think there are even programs that help the disadvantaged?
Luke: Yes. There is the Disabled Surfers Association. There is a program for mental health called Fluoro Fridays at all Sydney beaches. It started in Bondi and has gone global to show how beneficial the ocean and surfing are for you. It is helping people’s mental stability by bringing them together in a group environment to share their stoke for surfing, which leads to amazing outcomes. Many different organizations are now getting involved.
John: And you initiated an Indigenous program in 2017 or 2018 as well?
Luke: Yes. Surfing NSW has been running an Indigenous program for a while now. Last year, we really ramped it up with a couple of small grants. We have been running free Learn to Surf lessons followed by a barbecue and merchandise for the kids. They come from out west to the coast, and we link them with different surf schools. To take that to the next level, we are looking at bringing on Indigenous trainees and teaching them how we run events by bringing them into the office. I think there are some really good opportunities for us. We are only just scratching the surface in these different areas.
John: Tell me about the array of brands and athletes that you work with. I am also interested to know what brands are looking for in a partnership in this day and age, as it is a radically fast-moving environment.
Luke: At Surfing NSW, we have many assets, from events down to surf schools. We work with brands like Havaianas, NRMA, government agencies, regional councils, and Destination NSW. We also work with emerging surf brands like Vissla, as well as Billabong, Rip Curl, and Quiksilver. What do they all want? I would say content. Everyone wants authentic content to link with social media and a presence on the beach. Only Surf Life Saving and Surfing NSW can organically get brands on the beach to engage with every demographic. Australian Skin Cancer Clinics is another partner. They have clinics up and down Australia, and we are physically facilitating doctor appointments on the beach for our surfers. We have actually detected some skin cancers this way. These activations are genuine; they link content with on-beach branding. It is a full 360-degree relationship with a brand rather than just a sponsorship.
John: It is not just a local business these days; it is a global business. How have you engaged with the world through Surfing NSW, and what does it mean to be part of something that has become so large?
Luke: We engage through digital and social channels, specifically Facebook. Webcasting is huge in surfing, and we are lucky that our athletes have massive social platforms and followings. They are spreading the word globally for us. From a tourism perspective, we are bringing international surfers to small regional Australian towns with amazing waves. We then broadcast those waves to the world. Even at an amateur level, we are putting our sport on the map for a global audience. Brands love that we can digitalize the experience. Anyone can watch everything from live scores to priority status and replays. That is where the sport is right now; everyone loves digital webcasts.
John: You have just been to North America. What did you do there, and what did it tell you about the current state of the industry?
Luke: Our team went over to look into wave pools. The technology of surfing is very exciting, and many companies are trying to launch wave pools. We flew to LA and then to Texas to surf a wave there. We looked at the technology, the facilities, and how they filtrate the water. We worked with the American team to understand what could be implemented in Australia. It is exciting, but it is important that the technology has room to evolve. You do not want to get stuck in a pattern after spending $20 million. It was a productive trip. It is exciting for us to think about running night-time events, which will likely engage large news stations and allow us to broadcast at specific times. Right now, live surfing is hard to justify to large broadcast stations because of its unpredictable nature.
John: Through Surfing NSW, you are engaging with the World Surf League, and surfing is also on its way to the Olympics. Can you explain what the World Surf League is and what is happening with the Olympic Games?
Luke: Our job at Surfing NSW is to manage everything that happens within the state. The World Surf League (WSL) does that on a global scale; they are the professional body for surfing. In NSW, we have an amazing relationship with them. We run their events—we own some events that they sanction for us, and in other cases, they run the event and contract us for logistics. We have built this over many years with our national body, Surfing Australia. They manage the professional side nationally, and we manage the amateur side. We run regional, state, and Australian titles, which lead to the World Titles and the ISA Games. At the top level, the ISA and WSL have come together with the athletes to create the Olympic pathway. The ISA now has 120 nations participating, while the WSL focuses on the top 32 male and top 16 female professional athletes. Seeing them come together is amazing, and it is because of that relationship that surfing will be in the Olympics.
John: In 2020 in Tokyo, surfing will be contested for the first time as an Olympic sport. On your trip to America, you also went to Huntington Beach for the US Open of Surfing. Did you connect with the athletes and brands there? What is the vibe like?
Luke: It is very exciting. There are still some details to be sorted regarding qualification, but the overall vibe is amazing. Having the sport in the biggest sporting arena will globalize it and bring it into homes that would never otherwise consider surfing. The athletes are also stoked. We still need to determine if it will be held in a wave pool or on the beach, which is currently unknown. Regardless, it is an amazing opportunity for the sport.
John: Surfing NSW runs several global events, like the Australian Open of Surfing at Manly and the World Junior Surfing Championships. You have built close bonds with superstars of the sport, including a friend from Cronulla. Can you tell us about Connor O’Leary?
Luke: Yes. Connor and I both grew up in Cronulla. He is a couple of years younger than me. We used to go to the Grommet Fest at Lennox Head together. He was an amazing surfer as a child, though there were other kids who were technically better. However, he stayed humble and kept at it. He eventually skyrocketed, though it happened relatively late. Connor is half-Japanese and half-Australian. His mother is an Australian champion and his dad is an amazing surfer. Connor did not win the Pro Junior Series (Under 20s), which usually provides a leapfrog onto the World Tour due to good seeding. He had to do it the hard way. A couple of years ago, Connor was still working at our events, pitching tents for a low hourly rate. He was working at the events he once competed in. He respected the journey, as did his family. He worked as a surf coach and in a surf shop while competing in the qualifying series. Two years ago, he was one spot away from making the World Tour—he was 11th when only 10 go through. The following year, he won the entire qualifying tour. Now, he is on the World Tour and is currently ranked 10th in the world. I believe his success is due to his humble attitude. His pathway was difficult and he had to earn his stripes. Not making the tour initially actually prepared him for this moment.
John: Many people recognize names like Midget Farrelly, Pete Townend, or Occy and Barton Lynch. But there is a new crop of incredible surfers from NSW. Who are some names people might recognize?
Luke: Sally Fitzgibbons, Laura Enever, Matt Wilkinson, Mick Fanning, Connor O’Leary, Stu Kennedy, and Ethan Ewing.
John: And the Wright family?
Luke: Owen Wright, Tyler Wright, and Mikey Wright. They used to travel up and down the coast in a minibus to save on accommodation. Now we are working with them on events in Culburra. It is amazing to see that these guys are still involved with their local boardrider clubs and competing for them. They have maintained that grassroots edge. The top three rated female surfers right now—Sally, Tyler, and Steph Gilmore—are all from New South Wales. It is incredible.
John: Most people who know you see that you are focused on benefits for both Surfing NSW and the organizations you work with. How did that become your philosophy?
Luke: I have come through the system myself. I know the clubs, the surf schools, and the sport, and I talk to the parents a lot. I was in their position. I developed that trust over time. It isn’t easy; we still need partnerships and commercialization. But if you simplify everything, our end goal is to better the sport of surfing. You can get caught up in things like the Olympics and wave pools, but ultimately, it is about the parents, the kids, and their pathways. We focus on the ecosystem. We want to create a great event system in our own backyard with linked road trips so athletes do not have to travel twice. Simplification has been our goal, and it has worked well.
John: Historically, business management courses focus on organizational design, but you seem to view culture as equally important. What culture are you aiming to build at Surfing NSW?
Luke: Eighty percent of our staff started as interns, including myself. We will continue that rotation of embedding the work experience system through universities. That engages passionate people. For a small organization like ours, it is vital that everyone gets along and acts like a family. Family is culture. Because we run events with long hours and a lot of travel, we are often on the road together. We have brought that mentality into the office. We are lucky to be based on the beach at Maroubra, so staff can come in early for a surf or go during lunch. Being on the beach has built our culture naturally. We make sure to utilize what we have out front.
John: How important is passion for what you do professionally?
Luke: In any not-for-profit sport, passion is key. it helps you understand the sport and what surfers want, and it motivates you to go beyond the hard yards. When you are passionate, you can build authentic partnerships and develop the sport effectively. It is essential.
John: What excites you most about the sport today and its future?
Luke: From a commercial level, many non-surf brands are getting involved, which will reach millions more people. There is also a lot more demand. We are seeing kids move from other sports into surfing. We need to ensure there is a structured volunteer base with good governance at the grassroots level. On a global scale, we need to ensure there is a pinnacle pathway in New South Wales so families are not spending huge amounts of money traveling the world. We also want to facilitate overseas travel with coaches for younger athletes. We are even linking them with universities so they can have a backup strategy while pursuing the sport.
John: You are also looking to take the surf lifestyle beyond the coast. What prompted that?
Luke: Primarily stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). We have identified that SUP racing is very different from traditional shortboarding. It does not require waves at all; it is a point-to-point race. Therefore, we can look at lakes out west and work with regional councils to build a community in Western Sydney. Many councils want to work with us on this. We can now take the sport out west.
John: And you have opened a surf school at Wet ‘n’ Wild in Western Sydney as well?
Luke: Yes. One of the brands we work with called me and told me to check out their wave. When I went out there, I realized we could run a surf school. Eighteen months later, we had the insurance and staff in place. We worked with Village Roadshow and created the Wet ‘n’ Wild Sydney Surf School. We have run Indigenous lessons, ladies’ groups, after-school programs, and adult lessons. It is an amazing experience to press a button and have three different wave settings. It is the start of what could be massive for surfing.
John: What would you say to anyone in a leadership position regarding the secret to success?
Luke: Take a look at the people around you and those reporting to you. How can they help you? Look to your mentors and be open to their help. You also need to ensure you are giving the people underneath you enough time and delegating effectively. Moving from event management to CEO, I have learned that delegation is key. It is not about selfishness; it is about giving responsibility to people so they feel trusted. Finally, prove to yourself that you can do it. Having confidence is vital.
John: Luke, thanks for your time today.
Luke: I appreciate it, thank you.