SIMA ANNOUNCES ELECTION RESULTS FOR 2021-2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Paul Naudé assumes role as Board President and other officers appointed
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (January 13, 2021) – The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) today announced the results of its Board of Directors Elections for the term beginning January 2021 and ending December 2022. SIMA’s membership elects its Board of Directors in staggered terms, with half of the directors being elected each year to serve two-year terms. Each SIMA member company regardless of size receives one vote in the annual elections.
This year, the following individuals were elected as Directors for the 2021-2023 term:
- Debby Martin, L*Space (re-election)
- Mike Matey, Reef (re-election)
- Paul Naudé, Vissla (re-election)
- Kiki Prince, Roxy (re-election)
- Mark Tinkess, O’Neill (re-election)
In addition to being re-elected to a two-year term, Paul Naudé was elected by the membership to serve as the Board president. Naudé was the Board vice president the past two years, and takes over the position from out- going president Shannan North of Billabong. With Naudé moving into the president role, the following officer appointments were made by the Board to round out the SIMA Executive Committee:
- Vice President: Dylan Slater, Rip Curl
- Treasurer: Vicki Redding, Vans
- Secretary: Cathey Curtis, RVCA
Other appointments made by the SIMA Board include Liam Barrett of Dragon to the voting Board of Directors to fill a vacated position. Barrett has been serving on the Advisory Board in a non-voting capacity the past two year. Several new individuals were then added to the Advisory Board in a non-voting capacity:
- Cory Higgins, Jetty
- Courtney Kincaid, Xcel
- Josh Reddin, Elastic Suite
“As we move from the unprecedented challenges of 2020, I’m very excited to start this new year under the leadership of this Board of Directors,” said SIMA Executive Director, Sean Smith. “We have an excellent mix of men and women industry; our first Board member based on the East Coast (Cory Higgins of Jetty); brand veterans; and the future stars of the industry. I couldn’t imagine a better, more qualified group of people to be serving the SIMA membership and leading us in to better days.”
All elected Directors and appointed Advisory Board members serve the interests of the association, and are accountable to the membership in determining strategic direction, goals and objectives and SIMA’s annual budget. The four officers of the organization comprise SIMA’s Executive Committee; officers and directors are voting positions on the all-volunteer Board; and advisory board members are non-voting positions who provide additional direction and input to the association.
“Through the pandemic, surfing has been discovered by so many new people around the world due to the pursuit of physical, mental and emotional well-being,” said Paul Naudé, President of the SIMA Board of Directors, and CEO/Founder of Vissla. “The SIMA Board is now well-equipped and prepared to help guide the industry through an increased demand for surf products, provide partnerships that bring us all business efficiencies, and develop sustainability programs that continue to protect our ocean environment. We’re anticipating 2021 to be good year!”
About SIMA
The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) is the official working trade association of surf industry suppliers. Founded in 1989, SIMA is a non-profit organization that serves to promote awareness of the surf industry and participation in the sport of surfing through public relations efforts and a variety of services, educational programs and research. In addition, SIMA actively supports oceanic environmental efforts through its 501(c)(3) charitable environmental foundation, the SIMA Environmental Fund. In the past 29 years, SIMA’s Environmental Fund has raised more than $7 million for environmental groups seeking to protect the world’s oceans, beaches and waves. The SIMA Humanitarian Fund, also a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, was established to award grants to various surf or boardsport related social and humanitarian non-profit organizations whose efforts are focused on improving the quality of life, health and/or welfare of people. Since 2004 the SIMA Humanitarian Fund has raised and donated more than $1.7 million to surf-related non-profit humanitarian organizations. For more information regarding SIMA, please visit www.sima.com.
