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  Fox CEO Pete Fox - Shop-eat-surf file photo

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  Quiksilver CEO Andy Mooney and Executive Chairman Bob McKnight - Shop-eat-surf file photo

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  Patagonia Global Surf Director Jason McCaffrey - Photo courtesy of Patagonia

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  Volcom CEO Jason Steris and Kering COO Todd Hymel - Shop-eat-surf file photo

Last year was a very newsy year for the industry, and with all the changes going on, it made for some interesting discussions with industry leaders.

Here is a list of our favorite, in-depth interviews of 2013, most of which appeared in our Executive Edition, the place for stories that take the most time and resources to produce.

We are looking forward to 2014, and to the many interesting talks we hope to have with industry executives this year.

Favorite interviews of 2013

1. Bob McKnight: “We need new blood.” Bob discusses why the company needed outside expertise and why Andy Mooney took over as CEO. Our other favorite Quiksilver interview was at the Andy Mooney and Bob McKnight Shop-eat-surf Executive Roundtable. In both cases, Bob and Andy were pretty forthcoming about why Quiksilver needed to change and about the thinking behind the changes that are being made at the industry’s largest company.

2. Volcom CEO Jason Steris and Kering COO Todd Hymel on changes and investments at Volcom. This is the first interview that really provides some insight into how Kering (formerly PPR) is influencing Volcom, and provides lots of details about new strategies for the brand. Hymel also shares the thinking behind some of the strategy shifts at Electric, which Kering also owns.

3. Pete Fox: What is Fox up to? This was one of the most revealing interviews of the year. Fox has hired a lot of top talent in the industry and has big plans for surf. Pete discusses what the plan is, how they are executing, and shares his insightful take on the state of the industry.

4. Jake Burton discusses the state of snowboarding, closing Analog, plans for Burton apparel and more. For a company that rigidly controls its media messaging, Jake always comes across as refreshingly candid in interviews.

5. Scott Olivet: Two Scott Olivet stories made our list. One was our interview with Scott after Altamont Capital Partners was thought to have won the Billabong bidding, and Scott was presumed to become CEO. The other was our story, “Who is Scott Olivet?” For that piece, we talked to several colleagues who have worked with Scott in the past or currently sit on boards of directors with him to get a feel for how he operates in the world. While the Billabong scenario did not play out as expected, Scott is still involved in the industry and now serves as chairman of DaKine and Mervin Manufacturing. He is also an operating partner at Altamont, and I would expect to see Altamont even more involved in the industry going forward.

6. Paul Naude shares his next move: This was Paul’s first interview after his unsuccessful bid for Billabong. He talks about his future plans for a new brand, why he has no desire to work for a public company again, how the industry has changed, and a lot more.

7. Roger Wyett and Bob Hurley on Nike surf changes, exiting the US Open, and more. In this interview, Roger and Bob explain why Nike exited surf with the Nike brand, the new role for Hurley within Nike, and the thinking behind the decision to end Nike and Hurley involvement with the US Open.

8 Patagonia: I’d been curious about Patagonia’s approach to surf and have noticed the brand making some headway. In this interview, Patagonia’s Global Director of Surf, Jason McCaffrey, outlines the company’s surf strategy and future plans and provides details about why making a simple surf T-shirt is so challenging at Patagonia.

9. Brad Alband, new Global Brand Director at KR3W: I loved this interview because it was one of the most candid of the year. Brad shares his take on the state of the industry, where KR3W stumbled and where the revamped KR3W believes it can make its mark. Plus, he provides some insight into the snow business, where he has lots of expertise.

10. The new vision for Billabong: These aren’t interviews, but rather a summary of new CEO Neil Fiske’s address at the recent Billabong Annual General Meeting. I also listened to a recording of the press conference he held afterward with Australian reporters. In both stories, Fiske provides a lot of detail about where he believes Billabong went wrong, and his plans to change the company going forward.