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URBNSURF names new chief executive

URBNSURF names new chief executive
April 17, 2024

URBNSURF has announced the appointed Jennifer Vandekreeke as its new Chief Executive to lead the Australian business as it becomes the first developer in the world to operate two surf parks.

She joined URBNSURF in mid-March 2024 and will officially take over as Chief Executive on 17th May succeeding current postholder Damon Tudor who announced at the end of last year that he would be stepping down following the upcoming opening of URBSURF Sydney.

With a background in the tourism, Vandekreeke has experience in growing companies by enhancing customer experiences. She is known for her work with Carnival Cruise Line in Australia and has held executive positions at NRMA and Club Med.

Aiming to enhance the surf park experience for both seasoned surfers and newcomers, making surfing more accessible to Australians, Vandekreeke advised “URBNSURF has become part of Australia’s surf culture and we have a key role to play in making surfing accessible to more Australians.

"I look forward to welcoming everyone to URBNSURF to discover and experience the thrill of riding waves in a fun and safe environment.”

Later on LinkedIn she added “the URBNSURF team is a perfect blend of passion, talent and hustle. The team has already written the playbook on how to build and operate a Surf Park.

“And we're about to write the next chapter in our story focusing on commercialisation and customer experience in this exciting and emerging industry.”

Tudor, who has led URBNSURF since 2019, oversaw the opening of URBNSURF Melbourne, managed challenges of pandemic shutdowns and has steered the development of the soon-to-open second surf park at Sydney Olympic Park.

Under his leadership, URBNSURF Melbourne secured numerous awards and has hosted nearly 700,000 guests.

Image: Jennifer Vandekreeke. Credit: Carnival Cruises.

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26th March 2024 - Data centre heating potential for swimming pools and artificial surfing lagoons

12th March 2024 - URBNSURF Sydney partners with Surfing NSW to enhance surfing experience and provide safety skills

12th March 2024 - One week of Cruise Tourism injects $4.1 million into Darwin local economy

26th February 2024 - URBNSURF and Surfing Victoria announce five-year partnership

6th February 2024 - Chief Executives of Wavegarden and URBNSURF impressed with new style of one-day surfing event

1st February 2024 - Launch of new training programs for surf and theme parks

18th January 2024 - Wavegarden delivers robust liner system for waterproofing surfing lagoons

17th January 2024 - URBNSURF Melbourne to host 2024 BYD Pro QS3000 World Surf League event

20th December 2023 - URBNSURF expands long-term partnership with Rip Curl

12th December 2023 - Surfing Victoria partners with Coffey Testing to deliver women and girl surf sessions at URBNSURF

24th October 2023 - URBNSURF and Boost Mobile partner to deliver multi-sport lifestyle event

12th September 2023 - WorkSafe Tradies Surf Challenge returns to URBNSURF Melbourne

28th June 2023 - Autumn 2024 opening date announced for URBNSURF Sydney

30th May 2023 - Aventuur moves closer to delivering a sustainable Wavegarden surf park in the north of Auckland

20th June 2022 - Aventuur signs long-term ground lease for Perth Surf Park site

13th May 2022 - URBNSURF Melbourne launches fleet of winter offerings

15th March 2022 - International Cruise ships allowed to return to Australia from 17th April


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