The Wave in Bristol announced this month that Hazel Geary has taken over the role as CEO. Given the wave pool’s move toward all things Blue Health, the announcement makes sense. Geary is an MD and consultant who has been working with small to medium-sized businesses in the health, leisure, wellness and beauty industries as they scale up. Judging by her LinkedIn profile she will inject a large dose of leisure and hospitality into The Wave Bristol, and beyond as they expand their brand to several new wave pools across the UK. We had a chat with Hazel to discover how the UK’s favorite surf park will open up the joy of surfing to whole new populations.

Can you tell us about your previous work and how your leisure and hospitality experience will apply to a wave pool?
I’ve held a number of different roles covering all elements of leisure, from strategy and operations to construction. This has given me first-hand experience of the complexity of operating and maintaining large facilities, keeping them running smoothly and ensuring they are safe environments to both work in and enjoy.

So much of what I’ve learnt from other areas of the leisure sector is incredibly relevant and transferable to running The Wave. I have always worked from a customer perspective, focusing on improving their journey and experience from start to finish. I couple that with insight into how to engage and motivate teams, so they are happy, fulfilled and set up to really support customers.

What are your main goals for The Wave?
The Wave was a world-first and is a unique place. I want to help to continually improve what is already an incredible product, preserve what makes it so special, especially the team of Wavemakers who make it happen day in and day out, deliver on the brand purpose and showcase of what a world-class wavepool looks like.

We need to make these spaces truly accessible to all and remember that whilst we love and embrace the existing surf community, we need to expand this community in a truly inclusive way

– Hazel Geary

We know you are strong on sustainability and will go NetZero this summer, why is that important?
I’m delighted to work somewhere that takes its impact so seriously. The Wave has been built with sustainability is at its core, based on a triple bottom line philosophy that considers the impact of decisions on people, planet and profit. I will continue to ensure that this is adhered to and build on the great work done to date, such as our incredible solar array which will make us Net Zero operationally, and our proactive social impact programme which is creating waves of change in Bristol and beyond – making sure we truly are a business for good.

As surf parks open up across the globe, what is something they should keep in mind?
Part of my excitement about the surf park sector is the ability to open up the joy of surfing to whole new populations. We need to make these spaces truly accessible to all and remember that whilst we love and embrace the existing surf community, we need to expand this community in a truly inclusive way, to introduce people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to the positive power of water and waves.

Would you like to add anything else?
The team at The Wave have learnt so much in the 4 years since opening, but we are only at the start of our journey and there is an exciting future ahead for the business delivering more in Bristol and creating future sites. I’m delighted to join this team and also be part of the wider community.