#269 Chris Mater — Red Bull, Surfing Australia & Founding the Surfing Super League
Good Humans with Cooper ChapmanShow Notes
This week I sat down with Chris Mater, and this one is a masterclass in building a career by backing yourself at every turn.
Chris started out as a professional skier before landing one of the most exciting jobs in sport — becoming one of Red Bull's first ever employees in Australia. He spent nearly 20 years with the brand, growing it from the ground up in Australia before heading to the United States to take on even bigger roles. Few people in the world understand action sports business at the level Chris does.
From there he stepped into the top job at Surfing Australia, serving as CEO for five years and helping shape the future of the sport at a national level. And now he has created something that has the whole Australian surfing community talking — the Surfing Super League, a brand new competition format set to change the landscape of surfing in this country.
This is a conversation about building a life in industries you love, what it takes to lead at the highest level, and what the Surfing Super League means for the future of Australian surfing.
In this episode we cover: His journey as a professional skier Becoming one of Red Bull's first employees in Australia Nearly 20 years building Red Bull across Australia and the United States What made Red Bull's culture so different Becoming CEO of Surfing Australia Five years shaping the future of surfing at a national level Creating the Surfing Super League What the Super League means for Australian surfing Lessons from a career built at the intersection of sport and business
Follow Chris Instagram https://www.instagram.com/materman1/ Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjmater/?isSelfProfile=false
Surfing Super League https://surfingsuperleague.com/
—
Connect with Cooper Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cooperchapman/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-chapman-08a278151/
The Good Human Factory https://www.thegoodhumanfactory.com The Good Human Factory Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegoodhumanfactory/ Workshop and Speaking Enquiries https://form.typeform.com/to/DSPSnvEH 1% Good Club Book https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/e1xrkr https://amzn.to/46ve1i2
THE GOOD HUMAN FACTORY™️ 2020 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Good Humans with Cooper Chapman
I loved this one. Alexis has spent over a decade inside marketing, media and PR, so she knows exactly how our attention gets engineered. And she’s honest enough to call herself a tech addict too. Her new book Real: Reconnecting to Yourself in a World of Likes and Lies is three years in the making, and it’s all about how social media messes with who we think we are, and how to take that back. If you’ve ever closed an app feeling worse about yourself, this one’s for you.
This was a fascinating chat. Dr Joy Kong started out as a psychiatrist and addiction doctor before becoming one of the leading voices in stem cell therapy. She’s UCLA-trained, triple board-certified, and the founder of Chara Health in Los Angeles and the American Academy of Integrative Cell Therapy, where she trains doctors around the world. Joy cuts through the hype and tells it straight about what stem cells can and can’t do, and why she thinks we might be the first generation to reverse ageing. If you’re curious about longevity and where medicine is heading, you’ll love this one.
⚠️ Content Warning This episode contains open discussions about suicide and the loss of a family member. Please take care of yourself first. If you're not in the right headspace, come back to this one when you're ready. If you need support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (available 24/7) or visit lifeline.org.au
⚠️ Content Warning This episode contains open discussions about pregnancy loss, miscarriage, anxiety, endometriosis and the suspicious death of a family member. Please take care of yourself first. If you're not in the right headspace, come back to this one when you're ready. If you need support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (available 24/7) or visit lifeline.org.au
This week I sat down with Valentino Guseli. He is 20 years old and already one of the greatest snowboarders on the planet.