Behind the Scenes with Starboard’s Brand Manager, Ollie O’Reilly

HOOD RIVER, Oregon - At Starboard’s recent dealer meeting in Oregon we caught up with one of their masterminds behind the scenes, Mr. Ollie O’Reilly. For several years, Ollie has been on the product development team at Starboard and has helped to create some of the best standup paddleboards in the world. Recently, Ollie has changed roles and is now the Brand Manager for Starboard SUP. We caught up with Ollie to learn more about him as a person, how he first started in the paddleboarding world and even got some industry insight from him. Check out our interview with Ollie below:

Supconnect: How'd you get starting in sup/watersports?

Ollie O’Reilly: I got a job when I was 15, maybe 14 where we had to get a summer work experience at school and I got a week working at the local sailing school. Through that I learned that I really enjoy working with watersports and the beach lifestyle. Then I started working at the sailing school in the summers and I first saw paddleboarding in 2008 when the UK distributor was doing a tour so I tried it very early on. I worked at the sailing school until I went to University where I studied business management in the UK. In my second year of Uni I got a summer job at a bar on the waterfront in the local town and became really good friends with my boss at the time Chris Simon, and we both agreed it would be amazing to have a SUP school in front of this restaurant because people eating outside would see us paddling and then that would turn into a demand, and that's what happened. After our initial idea for the SUP school came about we then agreed to set it up, bought 6 boards and just started a school. I ran the school for about 4 years during my summers, it grew and I eventually passed it on to someone else and it's still running today. But yeah, that's how I got into paddleboarding.

How’d you get connected with Starboard?

I got in contact with Starboard through my local distributor as I was using Starboard boards for my school and I was invited to one of the first Costa Brava events, which was like a dealer meeting in Spain, so I went there on behalf of my school and met Svein and the crew and that was the first time I was fully immersed into the world of Starboard and the new products. That was a great opportunity to meet the team and test the boards. I think I did one more event and then went traveling after university and visited Svein in Bangkok and went paddling with him and was stoked. He gave me a few other contacts for my travels and connected me with Australian, Canadian and New Zealand distributors. So he basically set up a lot of my travels. I ended up traveling for about 6 months, then went back to my school and then through a friend of mine ended up working an internship in Vietnam for 6 months and that allowed me to have a lot of experience in production. After that, I actually got offered a job in HongKong which I accepted so I went back to the UK to sell my school and worked through the summer there which is when I really started having doubts about leaving the watersports industry and moving to HongKong. So, that's when I sent an email to Svein to see if he had any jobs available and I told him I'd happily move there. He then offered me a job in marketing which I accepted and turned down my offer in HongKong for Puma and went to start working for Starboard instead in 2014. I did a year in marketing under Caren Forbes which was a really good experience. Through that year I was constantly being pulled into products and so after that I ended up moving more to a role in product management which I did for nearly seven years until this year where I transitioned to now being in brand management of the overall SUP brand.

 

 

 

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What surprised you most when joining the Starboard team?

That's a good question. Well, before I joined, obviously, having the chance to visit Sven and being a little bit exposed to the Costa Brava meetings and seeing the pace and intensity of that, that was an insight. And then joining the team in Thailand, I suppose, not really surprised, but again, the intensity of the work, it's really fast paced. We were long hours but the passion of the team really pulls everyone together. When things do go wrong, it's those times that really show the strength of the teams. That was like anything when you produce something, you do have problems that come up and under those pressures, it's like that team strength that makes you very tight when you move forward. I like that a lot. Another surprise I suppose was the openness to try new things and the team riders are always really fun to be around.

What is your goal now that your new role is in place?

For me, I have such an affinity to Starboard and I love what the brand represents. For me, it's just making sure everyone is very clear on our direction. Bringing the team together and making sure that we're focused and understand the overall strategy. Again, because we're always moving at such a fast pace and there's always jumping to the next development, and often I feel like we don't have the chance to necessarily step back and look from the bigger picture, which I think is important to make sure that we have a clear goal on where we're going to go. I've been putting some structures into place where I want the teams to be more accountable and feel more ownership on their inputs and also trying to give that clarity so we all are clear on what are the goals for next year? Where are we at now? Where do we want to go? And then how we're going to get there? It's like just the basic mentality of everyone's focused, we know what we're doing. Just tightening up a few things on that side. Because we have the best team, we have the products, we're always pushing. It's just making sure our story and the foundation of the brand really underpin where we're going to go.

Where do you see Starboard in five, ten years? Where do you see the brand going with how the industry is right now?

I think it's just building every year on the foundation. We've already got 30 years of heritage and we've already proved that we can have the best products and innovation and quality are always going to be our pillars on how we make decisions and the directions we're going to go. That's core to the brand. Sustainability and our impact is our third pillar. Quality, innovation, and sustainability, they're the foundations that help us make our decisions on a daily basis and also longer-term planning. I think, again, just tightening the story and where we're going. I feel like Starboard is a very encompassing brand. We have paddle boarding, we have wingboarding. There's probably going to be something else in a few years and just making sure that when people come to Starboard, that question of 'why Starboard' is always clear, like always being the leaders but always being not just performance but also lifestyle, what the brand means, our impact and just having a very clear resonance to when people see the brand they know we're a leader and pushing the boundaries of innovation, quality and sustainability.

So, if you were to describe Starboard in 3 words it would be:

Well, without including those three pillars, I would probably say community, passion and lifestyle. Everyone that comes into contact with Starboard will have a passion for the ocean/watersports/nature/active lifestyle and wanting to protect that. Because we're always in the water we have that connection and I think that fuels us to make the best products but also trying to protect the environment.

What do you think the pain points are right now in the SUP industry?

Well I think the obvious one in SUP and the whole outdoor industry is the after effects of covid with the overstock of products so that's going to take some time to clear. It's always easy in hindsight to look back and think how we did not realize at the time that we were riding the wave and maybe this demand would drop at some point and then there would be a lot of stock left over. But I think it will eventually start to clear and that will smooth out. Another pain point is that a lot of people bought cheaper products, especially on the inflatable side, and weren't really aware of what a quality board or quality product actually is or involves and the risks. If you buy cheap, you buy twice which is not ideal and there are now a lot of people around the world that have bought products that are inferior and have failed and some may not have even gone back on the water. So a problem is how can we attract those people that maybe had a bad experience with a low quality product to get them back on and actually trust that there are better products. And for those that do have a board and want to upgrade to something that's a bit better is trying to communicate those selling points on what makes our products better quality. Why do they last longer and what goes into the thinking on why we feel what sets us apart from other brands. Trying to push the industry to do better overall. But it's difficult when a sport becomes popular and everyone wants to jump in.

Classic Starboard graphics. | Photo © Supconnect

Starboard is known for sticking true to their blue with red accents and not really experimenting with other graphical elements aside from the Tikihine and the Wave models. Is there a reason behind this?

I think Starboard, having the heritage from windsurfing and kind of being recognized as a performance brand and has always had a distinct look with the Tiki logo which has almost become cult-ish with a loyal following. I think we have our colors which have kind of represented the brand with the red, blue, white and if you look at our race boards that is kind of an iconic look when you see a red nose you can tell that's a Starboard. So there have been certain brand connections that have been built using our colors however we are always flexible with different graphics as you said the Wave, the Sun, and now our lite-tech boards. In the past we've had pretty out-there graphics with neon green tails on the pro boards. One of my first boards was actually a yellow Starboard back in the day. So we have had color options but we tend to feel that we don't need to be so elaborate with our graphics. We try to keep it so that the Tiki and the Starboard logo is the first thing when you see a board you know that it's a Starboard. I think it's a balance of having bold and brighter colors but also keeping our core colors. We have a construction called the limited series which is a design that I worked on and that's just actually a black and white board design but it really appeals to the more minimal surf customer that is traditional surf and is not too bold and that's actually done really well and is now a best-selling construction.

Speaking of your line of designs, how did you come up with your concept of limited series?

Working with sustainable surf on different materials and they had been working with a company called Recork which had these cork tiles and through that we created some concept boards and we were using these tiles as sort of a puzzle to create traction. And through that I developed that into more of a finished design and I started making my own custom graphic boards. I did some Candy Crush-style ones with blue teal and pink and a black one as well and I had a lot of requests from people that wanted to buy my boards and asking where they could get one. So with just playing a little bit with my own taste and what I wanted to try and work on and I then presented that to Svein and Joe and we introduced the Limited Series which is the white and black design and what I wanted to achieve with that is a board that doesn't really change. It's a carryover, stock model and that's something different because with Starboard we change most graphics every year. This design is just a classic look.

 

 

 

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Is that one of your favorite projects that you've worked on?

Yeah, I think so. Seeing that design and working on that and seeing people use it definitely gives me satisfaction. Also the pad design not only looked cool but it gave more grip. So yeah, I think that and also the early days of making these eco-concept boards and really trying to push the boundaries of trying to change the entire design while using alternative materials has been rewarding.

What's your go-to discipline?

I think SUP surfing is my go-to sport first, if the conditions are good. It's what I really enjoy. I moved to Portugal during Covid and bought a place there and I did a lot of the development of the Spice range that we created and the new Pro board. So that was all developed, designed and tested in Portugal. I now like SUP foiling in the waves too but a lot of my time now is winging. I didn't come from a background in windsurfing and only had very basic sailing experience so it was a big learning curve but now having that option of having a wind sport to complement the other disciplines is nice to have. I also still enjoy paddling on a race board and developing those. I used to spend every morning paddling around the lake in Bangkok and I don't do that as much now but still love it.

 

 

 

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With winging and foiling getting a lot of traction the past few years, do you see that taking over SUP or remaining different entities?

I see it as two. SUP is a great way to connect all of these sports like windsurfing, winging, foil, surfing, etc. If you can stand on a board and paddle first that's going to be the easiest way into watersports. Then from there if you want to go foiling or winging it's going to be much easier if you already have some experience on a paddle board and you have that basic stability. So I think SUP is still going to be the gateway for people to get into watersports and the other areas like foil and wing. I don't think foil or wing will ever replace it just because they aren't as easy to do and it takes more time to learn. With SUP being so easy and accessible and the health benefits it comes with I don't think it will get replaced or taken over.

What is your advice for someone trying to get into paddleboarding and has no idea where to start?

Having had my own school back in the UK and taught paddling for many years you definitely learn tricks on what makes it easier to learn so I would always say if you can have a lesson it helps a lot because you don't learn bad habits. Generally, if someone is able to guide you a bit your progression is way faster. But the great thing about paddleboarding is that you can essentially just buy a board and paddle without any guidance and you can teach yourself within an hour or two. You might not be the best but it's not like surfing or foiling where it requires a lot of time and dedication. That being said, there are basic risk assessments that you should be aware of in your environment aren’t natural to a lot of people. I think some people go paddling for their first time without knowing the conditions they're putting themselves in might be risky or dangerous like if it's windy and it pushes them out to where they can't get back so I would always say get a lesson or at the very least watch a few YouTube videos first before you go.

What safety gear do you recommend beginners having?

For sure a leash. Everyone should go out with a leash as the board itself can be your main floatation device. Also, having a board and paddle that is the right size. If you buy a board that's too small you'll struggle. PFD would also be wise, especially for those not who are not very experienced in swimming.

Starboard's GO model in action. | Photo courtesy: Starboard

What's your advice for choosing the right board?

I think it depends. If it's someone who is looking to get into the sport for the first time I think an inflatable is the way to go. The appeal of packing down and traveling with the board and it being easier to store is where most people would start. And making sure that your board is wide enough and long enough to give you the glide and stability is key. Anything around 10' upwards and 30" wide would be the smallest to start with.

What's your go-to Starboard board to recommend someone that's a beginner?

I would always like to put them on a Go composite board. A composite shape can be more detailed on the design to make it faster, more stable, and have better glide. With inflatables, because of the technology, you can't do as much. Our Go boards take genetics from our race boards and are fast, utilize a catamaran-style hull, they have a super flat deck which makes it easy to have a wide stance. We haven't changed the board since we first introduced it and it's still one of our best-selling boards just because it makes it for anyone feel pretty confident and stay dry quite easily. 

Starboard Dream Team athletes Espe Barreras (left) and Fiona Wylde (right) in Germany. | Photo courtesy: Starboard

For your team specifically, what's your goal with your team? How do you pick your athletes? What goes into being on the Dream Team?

Being a performance brand, on one side we look for having the best guys and gals that can perform in waves and race so having competitive paddlers is a big push but also it goes deeper than that. Having a team that are all very approachable to the public. Having team riders that can clearly communicate and give advice and be generally helpful in guiding people to get into the sport as well. And coming back to our values, having riders that hold themselves to a high quality in their own image and making sure they put the best out there, not just results but protecting the environment and sustainability. We have a lot of riders that have done a lot in terms of impact for the environment and spreading the awareness of looking after our planet. So in sum, it's a number of roles that you play as an ambassador: you want to inspire people, motivate people, inform people on how to get into the sport, and living the brand. All our riders love being on the water whether it is SUP, foiling, winging, surfing, or racing, that's what they want to do and they want to share that passion with others.

Ollie, it’s been a real treat getting to sit down and chat with you. Thanks so much for your insight and congrats on your new role with Starboard!