Meet Michael Christofis | CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Christofis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, what is the most important factor behind your success?
One of the driving factors to The Navy Diver brand’s success is the very meaning behind the name. We started the brand in 2010 in Sydney in honour of our best mates who were Australia’s Elite Navy Clearance Divers and who served in the Australian Navy.

The mantra of a Navy Diver was to push limits, challenge your physical and mental capabilities and chase excellence in all areas of life. Attitude is everything along with balls of steel.

Well the old adage that a diver isn’t scared of sharks is a load of bullshit. In the words of a highly respected diver and military comrade Shane Bullock, he goes on to say that “the harbour of Sydney in Australia is full of sharks and the water at times has zero visibility. It’s a funny feeling being submerged as a diver for hours on end and knowing the sharks are there but you just can’t see them.”

Hence The Navy Diver launched in 2010 in honour of the elite military diving squad in Sydney. An Australian made underwear and swimwear brand with a legacy built upon mateship, loyalty and honour.
Through the power of e-commerce, the brand would go onto sell to over 30 countries. Propelling the brand’s military ethos to thousands and thousands of customers all across the world.

As a brand we are proud advocates for Mental Health. We also support veteran organisations who provide services, education and resources to the well-being of current and ex-serving veterans. The world is watching, we have something important to say and we want to change people’s lives. In 2021, The Navy Diver’s mission is different, and we have a responsibility to support our military mates and any individual struggling with anxiety, depression, suicide and PTSD.

When we launched The Navy Diver in 2010, the truth is that we started the brand in a way that made us question… how do we get people to see and watch and listen and became engaged with The Navy Diver, we achieved that on a worldwide scale. 11 years later in the year 2021, we want to advocate for mental health and veteran suicide prevention, erase the stigma and save lives.

More than 1, 200 Australian Defence Force veterans and serving personnel have died by suicide in the past two decades. As a brand, we stand united with our veteran community and will conquer this crisis. If you see somebody that’s hurting, don’t look away… and if you’re hurting, even though it might be hard, try to find that bravery with in yourself to dive deep and go tell somebody and take them up in your head with you.

We’ve had an incredible decade long journey and hope to continue inspiring the world over for many years to come.

Long live The Navy Diver
Michael Christofis – CEO

What should our readers know about your business?
The Navy Diver is the first brand in Australian history to model a diver in the Australian military that was bitten by a shark. Having started the brand in honour of our best mates in the Australian Navy, the market had not seen a brand like this before.

Hard work and dedication is key but to be honest, The Navy Diver’s success came from the love and support of our military comrades who were proud to support the cause, wear Aussie made undies and swimwear and spread the word far and wide.

Whenever someone would say I couldn’t do something, it would fire me up to prove them wrong, I would not take no for an answer. Stay hungry and passionate and never be afraid to challenge the status quo.

When we launched The Navy Diver in 2010, the truth is that we started the brand in a way that made us question… how do we get people to see and watch and listen and became engaged with The Navy Diver, we achieved that on a worldwide scale.
11 years later in the year 2021, we want to advocate for mental health and veteran suicide prevention, erase the stigma and save lives. More than 1, 200 Australian Defence Force veterans and serving personnel have died by suicide in the past two decades. As a brand, we stand united with our veteran community and will conquer this crisis.

We want to change people’s lives and advocate for mental health.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

I love travelling to the nation’s capital called ACT in Canberra Australia.

Many military mates reside here on transfer. We would kick off a friday night with the crew and have a good laugh and share a few rounds of beers.

Come Saturday, we would go to the Australian War Memorial which is a great opportunity to reflect on Australia’s military history and legacy, pay respects for those that have sacrificed so much for our great land.

Saturday night we would go along the waterside foreshore and fine dine at an Asian cuisine inspired restaurant called Morks where the cocktails would be flowing.

Sunday would be a great day to zip around the scooters and take in more of what Canberra has to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to take a moment to honour the elite clearance diving squad in the Australian Navy who inspired us to start this brand 11 years ago.

I’d like to honour some of my best mates and military figures who have tremendously inspired me,

Richard Kamprad, Toby Miell, James William Chamberlain, Anthony Plater, David Simpson, Nathan Herbert, Lachlan Blyth, Ryan Kelly, Marc Rennie, and the late Jon Carroll.

Website: www.thenavydiver.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thenavydiver

Twitter: www.twitter.com/thenavydiver

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thenavydiver

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_68PQiqFh3Ya1SECKgIhg