Coco threw me off a bit. He looks vaguely like Occy and sports the same bogin mullet favored by Aussie Footie players. I was expecting backslaps and laughs, but was instead greeted with an uncomfortable Swiss-esque stoicism. I soon realized this distance is simply because he is busy at work. On top of that, it was opening weekend at the Swiss wave pool, and he might’ve been a bit stressed.
As the Surf Experience Manager at Alaïa Bay (oops, I mistakenly call him CEO in the podcast), he oversees all aspects of the surfing operation within the wave pool. He is responsible for designing and scheduling surf sessions, managing staff planning, and ensuring every guest enjoys the best possible waves and overall experience. With a background in skiing, snowboarding, and ocean surfing, he brings a well-rounded perspective to surf park operations.
Coco’s well of knowledge on the intersection of operations and customer experience shines through during our conversation. Still, we approached it from two opposite cultural standpoints, which actually worked out quite well. To give you a better sense of the dynamic between our two personalities, I left the unedited preroll in this podcast, which is decidedly messy and off-the-cuff and most definitely not the way Coco does things.
