Simon Barnett
Team Captain, Obo
Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours)
Massey University 1979
Simon Barnett Global Goalie Domination
- Simon Barnett
- Being niche niche
- The gnomes have it
- About being an entrepreneur
- Find out more about going into business
- Take The Next Steps Here
Protecting Goalkeepers Goolies
Simon’s company Obo is all about protecting the er, sensitive bits of the body.
We know we got your attention because of the ‘goolies’ bit, but actually, when you’ve got a field hockey ball flying at you at up to 160kmph, that’s not the only thing you need to defend.
Obo’s protection gear saves hockey goalkeepers from blindness, broken legs, punctured ribs and the general frivolity of a game that pretty much equates to people with large solid sticks chasing people and hitting them with a big round stone.
You can see why hockey players love Obo’s typical Kiwi no-nonsense approach. It’s about ‘Good shit that really works’.
Today from their wee base in Palmerston North, Obo provide gear worn by 80% of the world’s hockey goalkeepers.
It seems that indeed, Obo’s ‘shit’ works very well.
Protecting Goalkeepers Goolies
Simon's company Obo is all about protecting the er, sensitive bits of the body.
We know we got your attention because of the 'goolies' bit, but actually, when you've got a field hockey ball flying at you at up to 160kmph, that's not the only thing you need to defend.
Obo's protection gear saves hockey goalkeepers from blindness, broken legs, punctured ribs and the general frivolity of a game that pretty much equates to people with large solid sticks chasing people and hitting them with a big round stone.
You can see why hockey players love Obo's typical Kiwi no-nonsense approach. It's about 'Good shit that really works'.
Today from their wee base in Palmerston North, Obo provide gear worn by 80% of the world's hockey goalkeepers.
It seems that indeed, Obo's 'shit' works very well.
Simon Barnett
Team Captain, Obo
Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours)
Massey University 1979
Being niche niche
How Simon created Obo as a global-leading business.
The gnomes have it
Take a tour of Obo and learn what makes this globally-successful company tick.
About being an entrepreneur
It’s not like Simon was a huge hockey fan. He’s a guy with an eye for an opportunity and entrepreneurship running through his veins.
He started up his first business when he was just a teenager, importing, manufacturing and distributing table tennis equipment . No protection gear though, as serious injuries from pingpong are rare. (Although, unsurprisingly, it can be an extreme sport and there are some nasty accidents on YouTube.)
He honed his business skills with an honours degree in Marketing, and then he was away, on the road to global domination.
Find out more about going into business
Get started!
If you want to follow in Simon’s footsteps or just want to learn more about what he does all day, check out our Area of Interest page for Entrepreneurship.
There you’ll learn more relating to what Entrepreneurship is really all about, what kinds of careers you can get in that field, and how Massey University can help you get started down that path – just like Simon.