Julien Salles

General Manager of F-One — son of the founder — running all disciplines of the company plus his own baby, Manera. One of the show’s key industry voices.

• F-One and Manera, and how his role evolved (Ep 47); in person alongside Raphaël Salles (Ep 90).
• On the Plume (“Pluming”) and Frigate and where foil design is heading (Ep 111). The running “Manera Socks” gag traces to him (Ep 50).
• Ep 47 detail: born 1990, son of founders Raphaël Salles (R&D/marketing) and his mother (finance/HR/admin, “50% of the company”); grew up through F-One’s bootstrapped “potato years” but avoided the family business as a teenager, doing mountain biking instead. Joined F-One at 23 on a 6-month marketing-assistant contract, ended up building the then-neglected Manera into a proper brand (product developer, then brand manager), and became F-One’s General Manager as of summer 2023 — his dad still tests/signs off product but has stepped back from office duties. His own riding is mostly downwind/free-fly on a F-One Seven Seas or Skate; he says downwinding is, for him, better than pure surfing.