Mick Fanning has become the director of Seasave after a rescue deal brokered by the ATO

Mick Fanning has surfed in to help save a renowned surfboard company that he has close links with but was on the brink of collapse, owing close to $1m with the largest chunk to the ATO.

Surfing champ turned multi-millionaire businessman Mick Fanninghas quietly come on board to help save a surfboard company that developed a range of his signature boards, in a rescue deal involving the Australian Taxation Office.

Fanning has emerged as a director of Seasave, trading as The Surfboard Agency – a Tweed Heads-based company which started Mick Fanning Softboards and distributes various board brands worldwide.

Mick Fanning has emerged as a director of Seasave, trading as The Surfboard Agency – a Tweed Heads-based company which developed a range of his signature boards softboards.

Company filings reveal Seasave, headed by Daniel Flynn and Kurt Henson, entered into a restructuring arrangement late last year with debts nudging $1m.

The biggest creditor, according to filings, was the ATO which was owed just over $835,000. Seasave owed financier Prospa another $85,000-plus.

Documents show the two debtors settled for a total of $297,000, or just over 30c in the dollar, in a restructuring finalised several months ago.

Fanning, a triple world champion, came on board as a director last December with one of his companies, Mick Fanning Enterprises, a minority shareholder.

Fanning’s softboard range has taken off since launching in 2017, becoming hugely popular with learner surfers and kids.

Triple world surfing champion Mick Fanning.

Bonjour

Its time to get your berets out of the drawer because Le Festival – the Brisbane French Festival – has arrived.

Le Festival 2025 will kick off at 4pm on Friday and run through to Sunday at the South Bank Cultural Forecourt.

Le Festival President and co-founder Betty Moinet said that for this edition French cultural immersion will reach new heights that really showcase the best of France.

“Every year, Le Festival has brought top quality French cuisine, champagne, wines, and cultural experiences to Brisbane for locals to enjoy,” she says.

“This year will be twice as magnifique, in fact it’s set to be more immersive than it has ever been. What’s exciting about this upcoming program is just how much there is for people to experience, it’s really going to take them from the banks of Brisbane to beside the Seine.”

Le Festival starts on Friday at South Bank.

Safe hands

Integrated construction site safety specialists Buildsafe has appointed Michael Shipton as their new chief executive as the firm looks to establish itself as the national leader in the delivery of edge protection solutions.

Based at Arundel on the Gold Coast the scaffolding and height safety solutions provider for the construction industry has 600 staff and offices in NSW and Victoria.

Prior to joining Buildsafe, Shipton was a key figure behind the merger of Linfox Armaguard and Prosegur Australia.

He has replaced Joe Potter who left the business a couple of months ago.

New leader

There’s new leader on the Board of Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) with Emma Beckman stepping into the role of president.

Beckman is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Accredited Sport Scientist and an associate professor at the University of Queensland. She takes over from outgoing president Brendan Joss.

New ESSA board president Emma Beckman.

We hear that she’s ideally suited for the role particularly given her role as a Para Sport High Performance Manager at the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS). Beckman has already served on the ESSA Board for five years, most recently as vice president.

“ESSA is an organisation I care deeply about. I’m committed to building on the strong foundation Brendan has laid and continuing to advocate for the critical role our members play in exercise and sport science,” she says.

Originally published as Mick Fanning has become the director of Seasave after a rescue deal brokered by the ATO