cof_vivi
The Scottish Surfing Federation has announced the appointment of Paul Stark as the first Chief Executive Officer for the sport after an extensive recruitment process, led by the Chair of the organisation, William Watson.
Paul is currently the Managing Director of Sustainable Sport Ltd, a sports consultancy business established to assist sports organisations to achieve their long-term aspirations whilst minimising their impact on the environment. He was recently part of the leadership team that delivered the world’s largest global cycling event in history, the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland. Paul is also a director of Snowsport Scotland and the Chair of a Scottish charitable organisation that provides grant funding to support young people’s inclusion in sport.
With over 20 years’ experience across the sports sector, Paul joins the Scottish surfing team at a pivotal time for the sport with the opening of the Lost Shore resort scheduled for late 2024. The Lost Shore resort, currently under construction on the outskirts of Edinburgh, will provide the largest inland wave pool within northern Europe and, at an estimated build cost of £56 million, will see the largest capital investment of any sporting complex in Scotland over the last ten years since the construction of the Emirates Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow.
Incoming Scottish Surfing Federation Chief Executive, Paul Stark, said:
“This is an unprecedented time of opportunity for the sport of surfing and all its disciplines in Scotland and I am delighted that the Scottish Surfing Federation Board has shown confidence in me to support the Scottish surfing community build on its fantastic history and grow the sport sustainably as we look to excel on a world stage.”
William Watson, Chair of the Scottish Surfing Federation, said:
“We are delighted to have appointed Paul as the first Chief Executive Officer of the Scottish Surfing Federation. Paul comes with an exceptional background in sport that I believe will be instrumental for us going forward as we look to maximise the significant investment in our sport, strengthen the Scottish surfing community and positively impact the lives of Scots through the sport of surfing.”
Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said:
“We are delighted that the Scottish Surfing Federation has appointed the sport’s first Chief Executive in Scotland. With the considerable investment in infrastructure and the confirmation of surfing’s inclusion in the next three Olympic cycles, this is a really exciting time for the sport. This appointment marks a real commitment to the Scottish Surfing Federation’s aspiration of ensuring that more people participate, progress and achieve in the sport. We look forward to working with Paul and the team to support the development of the sport.”
