Global Surf Industries

Global Surf Industries, commonly known as GSI, is an Australian surfboard distribution and product-development company headquartered in Manly, New South Wales. The company develops, markets and distributes surfboards and related surfing products internationally.

Founded in 2002, GSI was established with the aim of bringing a more product-driven and consumer-oriented approach to an industry that had traditionally been dominated by small-scale local manufacturing. Its business model combines brand ownership, surfboard design and development, outsourced specialist manufacturing, wholesale distribution and direct-to-consumer online retail.

GSI operates subsidiary businesses in Australia, the United States, New Zealand and Canada, and works with independent distributors in other countries. Its products have been sold in approximately 74 countries, with more than one million boards distributed over the company’s history. Independent business case studies have described the company’s growth from its Sydney origins into a multinational surfboard business supplying markets around the world as impressive

The company’s product development is primarily focused on beginner-to-intermediate and recreational surfers. Its stated objective is to create products that help people enter surfing, improve their ability and increase their enjoyment of the sport.[1]

History

Establishment

Global Surf Industries commenced operations on 19 June 2002.[19] The company’s first office was operated from a home in Bower Street, Manly, with an initial staff of two.

Mark Kelly established the business after working as international sales and marketing manager for Surf Hardware International, the company associated with the FCS surfboard-fin system. Kelly was joined at the company’s establishment by founding partner Lachlan Kekwick. Cobra International, a specialist board manufacturer, was also an early shareholder.

Kekwick left the business in October 2004. Cobra International remained a shareholder until August 2015, after which Kelly became GSI’s sole shareholder.

The name Global Surf Industries was chosen to reflect the founders’ intention to create an internationally operating surfing-products company. GSI began its Australian operation in June 2002 and commenced its United States business in September of the same year. The company initially managed its American activities from Australia, using third-party logistics warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey.

GSI’s initial brand portfolio consisted of 7S, Blue Surfboards and Modern Longboards. The first board sold by the company was a 7-foot funboard under the Blue Surfboards name. The Blue range was subsequently developed into what became Modern Surfboards.

Business concept

At the time of GSI’s establishment, much of the surfboard industry remained structured around local shapers and small manufacturing businesses. This model produced a wide range of high-performance and custom surfboards but could also create challenges for larger retailers seeking consistent products, reliable inventory and predictable delivery.

GSI sought to complement the traditional custom-board industry by applying practices commonly used in other sporting-goods categories. These included:

• consistent models and specifications;
• recommended retail pricing;
• dependable stock availability;
• wholesale margins intended to support surf retailers;
• centralised quality standards;
• international product warranties;
• structured product ranges;
• consumer education; and
• international sales and distribution.

The company’s objective was not to replace the traditional shaping industry, which continues to play an important role in surfboard design and performance development, but to make surfboards more accessible and easier for retailers and recreational surfers to understand and purchase.

Early international growth

GSI entered the United States shortly after its Australian launch because the country represented the world’s largest surf-products market. The timing coincided with a period of increased mainstream interest in learning to surf, partly associated with the release of the 2002 film Blue Crush.

The business reported approximately US$3 million in United States turnover during its first year and grew to become a significant international surfboard distributor. Its expansion was driven by reliable inventory, consistent product quality, recognisable brands, retailer support and ranges designed for beginner and intermediate surfers.

At its peak, GSI distributed approximately 50,000 boards in a year and actively supplied about 50 national markets. Over its broader history, the company reports that its products have been sold in 74 countries and that cumulative sales have exceeded one million boards.

GSI established a New Zealand subsidiary in October 2012. Other international markets were generally serviced by local distributors. The company later established or maintained subsidiary operations in the United States, New Zealand and Canada alongside its Australian headquarters.

The Canadian entity was established to help Canadian customers avoid paying the US tariffs as no duty draw back was available for products supplied from GSI’s US based warehouse.

Stand-up paddleboarding and market changes

During the global financial crisis, the expansion of stand-up paddleboarding provided GSI with an additional area of growth. The company developed and distributed paddleboard brands and products alongside its surfboard ranges.

Over time, changes in specialist surf retail, the growth of e-commerce and shifts in consumer purchasing behaviour altered the company’s operating model. The internet became increasingly integrated into GSI’s wholesale, educational and direct-to-consumer activities.

The company also experienced changes to major licensing and distribution relationships. These changes contributed to a longer-term strategy of placing greater emphasis on brands controlled by GSI, giving the business more authority over product development, marketing and international direction.

Like much of the wider sporting-goods industry, GSI experienced unusually high consumer demand during the COVID-19 period. The subsequent market slowdown created excess inventory across the surf industry, while businesses were also affected by volatile international freight charges and changes to United States tariff arrangements.

In response, GSI adopted a more cautious inventory strategy, using prebook demand, sales information and forecasting to reduce unnecessary stock while maintaining suitable availability for retailers and consumers.

Brands

GSI has owned, licensed, collaborated with or distributed a range of surfboard and paddleboard brands during its history.[2]

Current Portfolio

The company’s current portfolio includes:

7S

7S is a GSI-owned surfboard brand offering boards across a variety of categories. Its best-known model is the Super Fish, which became one of GSI’s most commercially significant products and experienced strong international demand.

Modern Surfboards

Modern Surfboards developed from the company’s original Blue Surfboards range. The brand focuses primarily on accessible surfboards for beginner and progressing surfers.

The Modern Highline has become one of GSI’s highest-volume models. The range is designed to provide stability, paddle power and predictable performance for surfers developing their skills.

Salt Gypsy

Salt Gypsy is developed as a collaboration between GSI and brand founder Danielle Clayton. The brand produces surfboards with a particular focus on women surfers, combining accessible designs with distinctive visual direction.

Significant Salt Gypsy models include the Dusty and Mid Tide. The Mid Tide received an Australian Surfboard of the Year award.

The Critical Slide Society

The Critical Slide Society is a surf and lifestyle brand represented within GSI’s product portfolio. Its product development has expanded to include the Critical Slide surf-mat program, intended to bring an accessible and playful form of wave riding to a wide range of water users.

Surfica

Surfica produces surfboard and stand-up paddleboard accessories.

Gnaraloo Soft Surfboards

Gnaraloo offers soft surfboards developed for surf schools, beginners and recreational surfers. Soft surfboards form an important part of GSI’s objective of helping new participants enter surfing.

Adventure Paddleboarding

Adventure Paddleboarding is GSI’s stand-up paddleboard brand.

Tom Carroll Paddle Surf

Tom Carroll Paddle Surf is owned by two-time world surfing champion Tom Carroll and has been developed and distributed in partnership with GSI.

Trident SUP Paddles

Trident is GSI's SUP paddle brand.

Former and associated brands

During its history, GSI has also worked with brands and designers including:

• NSP;
• Blue Surfboards;
• Walden Surfboards;
• Haydenshapes;
• Meyerhoffer;
• Webber Surfboards;
• SUPERbrand;
• Stewart Surfboards;
• Creative Army; and
• The Seaglass Project.

These relationships varied between international distribution, licensing, collaborative product development and brand representation.

GSI played an important role in the international expansion of Haydenshapes. The Haydenshapes Hypto Krypto became one of the most commercially successful surfboard models of its era and received an Surfboard of the Year award in Australia and the USA while associated with GSI. 

Products and product development

GSI develops surfboards, softboards, stand-up paddleboards, surf mats and related accessories. The company does not own or directly operate surfboard factories. Products are designed and specified by GSI and manufactured by specialist factories in Thailand, China and Taiwan.[3]

GSI states that its internal design team has produced more than 200 surfboard and stand-up paddleboard models since 2002.
Product development is structured around the intended surfer, rather than treating all boards as suitable for all ability levels. Factors including surfer experience, body weight, wave conditions, paddling ability, stability and intended progression are used to position models within the range.

The company’s historically significant models include:

• the 7S Super Fish;
• the Modern Highline;
• the Salt Gypsy Dusty;
• the Salt Gypsy Mid Tide; and
• the Haydenshapes Hypto Krypto.

Construction technologies

GSI has introduced and developed several branded surfboard construction systems. These technologies are not patented and generally combine established surfboard materials in configurations intended to balance weight, durability, flexibility, performance and price.

SLX

SLX is a lightweight expanded-polystyrene and epoxy construction developed for surfboards requiring reduced weight and responsive performance.

Epoxy Soft

Epoxy Soft construction combines an internally structured epoxy surfboard with a softer external surface. It is designed to provide more defined surfboard performance than a conventional entry-level softboard while maintaining a forgiving exterior.

TMRW Tech

TMRW Tech is a construction system developed to offer a balance between contemporary performance, durability and production efficiency.

UX Ultra Epoxy

UX, or Ultra Epoxy, is an expanded-polystyrene and epoxy construction developed to improve strength while maintaining relatively low weight. The construction uses fibreglass layers positioned at opposing angles on the deck to distribute load across the laminate.

Softboard development

Soft surfboards are central to GSI’s beginner-focused product strategy. The company has worked to improve softboard shapes, internal structures and materials so that the products provide stability and safety while still allowing surfers to develop turning and wave-riding skills.

Women-focused surfboard development

Through Salt Gypsy and earlier collaborations, GSI has developed surfboard ranges intended to improve product choice and representation for women surfers. The boards are designed around surfing needs and ability rather than being differentiated solely through graphics or colour.

Quality control

GSI uses agreed manufacturing and quality standards with its suppliers. Product development progresses through a series of internal Go/No-Go gates, at which designs, samples, specifications and production outcomes are assessed before proceeding to the next stage.

Quality-control requirements can include:

• design and specification review;
• material approval;
• prototype assessment;
• pre-production samples;
• construction checks;
• visual inspection;
• measurement against specifications;
• packaging review; and
• final production approval.

The company uses outsourced specialist manufacturing but retains responsibility for product specifications, brand standards and quality requirements.

Manufacturing standards

All GSI manufacturing vendors are required to comply with the company’s Factory Code of Conduct [4]. The code establishes expectations relating to legal compliance, labour practices, workplace health and safety, environmental responsibility and ethical business conduct.

GSI does not publicly identify its individual manufacturing partners for commercial and confidentiality reasons.

Packaging and sustainability

GSI has worked to reduce plastic in surfboard packaging and has helped develop packaging systems using paper-based and recyclable materials. The company has progressively replaced components such as plastic bubble wrap and other single-use materials where suitable alternatives are available.[5]

Its sustainability work has also included research into recycled materials, lower-impact components, packaging improvements and ways to extend product life.

Because surfboard manufacturing continues to rely on foams, resins, fibreglass, transport and other resource-intensive processes, the company presents sustainability as an ongoing program of reduction and improvement rather than claiming that its products are environmentally impact-free.

Customers and distribution

GSI sells its products through a combination of:

• specialist surf retailers;
• international distributors;
• regional subsidiary operations; and
• company-operated ecommerce websites.

The business works with more than 500 retail accounts. Across its portfolio, approximately 50 active product models are marketed under nine brands or brand programs.

GSI’s primary audience is the beginner-to-intermediate surfer, although the company also offers products for experienced recreational surfers. Its product information is intended to translate technical surfboard terminology into language that consumers can understand.

Consumer education forms a significant part of the company’s marketing and retail-support activities. GSI produces videos, written guides and product comparisons explaining board dimensions, volume, construction, wave suitability and expected performance.

Online board-selection systems and educational content are used to help consumers identify products appropriate to their ability, size and intended surfing conditions.

Technology and operations

GSI uses integrated business systems to manage its international operations. These include NetSuite enterprise resource planning, Shopify ecommerce platforms and electronic data interchange services.

A NetSuite case study described GSI’s adoption of NetSuite OneWorld as a response to the complexity created by rapid international expansion, multiple subsidiaries and a global distribution network.[6]

The company’s systems connect inventory, wholesale orders, ecommerce, financial information, warehousing and international operations. The integration of these systems has allowed GSI to manage a geographically distributed business from its Australian headquarters.

Inventory planning has increasingly incorporated prebooks, retailer demand and sales data. The objective is to maintain appropriate product availability without creating excess inventory that later requires heavy discounting.

Company philosophy

GSI adopted “Life is better when you surf” as its company mantra in 2006. The phrase is registered as a trademark in Australia and the United States.[7]

The company describes the phrase as the reason for its existence rather than solely as an advertising statement. It reflects GSI’s belief that surfing can provide physical activity, enjoyment, personal development, connection with nature and a sense of community.

This philosophy informs the company’s focus on accessible products and surfer education. Rather than concentrating exclusively on elite performance, GSI aims to help recreational surfers enter the sport, improve their ability and develop a lasting relationship with surfing.

The company’s public profile describes its portfolio as being deliberately focused on beginner and intermediate participants.

Community involvement

GSI has been a long-term supporter of SurfAid, a humanitarian organisation that works to improve health and wellbeing in remote communities connected to surfing.

Founder and chief executive Mark Kelly was named SurfAid Humanitarian of the Year in 2023 in recognition of his fundraising and support for the organisation.[8]

GSI has also expressed support for surf-therapy programs and other initiatives that use surfing to assist mental health, wellbeing and community connection.

Recognition

Products associated with GSI have twice received recognition at the Australian Surfboard of the Year awards:

• 2014 Winner  Surfboard of the Year - Haydenshapes Hypto Krypto ( Jointly with HaydenShapes )[9]
• 2021 Runner Up Surfboard of the Year - Salt Gypsy Mid Tide.[10]

The awards reflected both the commercial impact of the models and their influence within their respective market categories.

Products associated with GSI have twice received recognition at the Australian Good Design Awards (previously known as Australian International Design Awards)

• 2010 Gold Award Winner - Meyerhoffer original longboard.[11]
• 2011 Gold Award Winner - The Seaglass Project Tuna finless surfboard.[12]

GSI and Mark Kelly have also been profiled by business and surf-industry publications.[13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] Coverage has focused on the company’s international distribution model, the modernisation of surfboard retail, its use of cloud-based technology and Kelly’s approach to managing a multinational business from Australia.

Independent profiles have described GSI as a major international surfboard distributor and documented the scale of its international market reach.

Current position

Global Surf Industries is one of the world’s established surfboard distribution companies. Its position is based on more than two decades of international operations, relationships with hundreds of surf retailers, a portfolio of owned and collaborative brands, and the cumulative distribution of more than one million boards.

The company’s current strategy is centred on:

• strengthening awareness and understanding of its brands among consumers;
• improving operational and inventory efficiency;
• supporting specialist surf retailers;
• developing accessible products for beginner and intermediate surfers;
• using educational content to help consumers choose suitable equipment; and
• introducing new product categories that encourage participation and enjoyment in the water.

GSI seeks to be recognised as a trusted surf-industry partner, a reliable product provider and a source of practical guidance for people wanting to develop their surfing skills.

While the company has changed considerably since its establishment in 2002, its central purpose remains connected to the belief expressed in its company mantra: Life is better when you surf.

Citations and further reading

1. Global Surf Industries, Company Profile
2. Global Surf Industries, Brand History
3. Global Surf Industries, Our Design and Manufacturing Process
4. Global Surf Industries, Factory Code of Conduct
5. Global Surf Industries, Environment and Sustainability
6. Global Surf Industries, Company Mantra
7. NetSuite, Global Surf Industries Rides Waves of Business Success
8. SurfAid, Mark Kelly Named SurfAid Humanitarian of the Year 2023
9. Australian Financial Review, profile of Mark Kelly and Global Surf Industries
10. Shop Eat Surf, interview with Mark Kelly
11. AccountEdge, profile of Global Surf Industries
12. Surf Careers, Mark Kelly - Global Surf Industries
13. Hypto Krypto wins 2014 Surfboard of the Year Award.
14. Salt Gypsy 2021 Year in review.
15. Australian International Design Awards Yearbook 2010.
16. Australia International Design Awards Yearbook 2011.
17. Build it they will come podcast, Mark Kelly - Global Surf Industries - part 1
18. Build it they will come podcast, Mark Kelly  - Global surf Industries - part 2
19. Australian Business Register, ABN 27 100 906 867 - Global Surf Industries