Establishing the HBCFCT alongside Sir Graeme Avery in 2016, Bruce has been a key part of enhancing the health and wellbeing of Hawke’s Bay through world-class sport and health facilities.

Bringing his international experience in venue development, marketing, and event creation, Bruce was instrumental in securing funding for the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre - an extension to the HBCFCT in 2022, which features a 25m and 50m olymic-grade pool.

His vision and leadership also saw the inclusion of the Hydrotherapy Centre, now named in his honour, supporting rehabilitation, recovery, and athlete performance.

Originally from Australia, Bruce is well known in New Zealand as the creator and former owner of Spark Arena, and for his global work delivering major sporting and cultural events, including the acclaimed arena show Walking with Dinosaurs.

Passionate about community outcomes, Bruce drives initiatives that promote health, accessibility, and opportunity across the region.

As part of her portfolio Helen is responsible for EIT’s Research and Innovation Centre.

Helen is a sport and exercise scientist, with a PhD focusing on the influence of body composition on responses to resistance training. Helen is also an internationally recognised anthropometry educator and a BASES-accredited sport and exercise scientist. Helen has provided sports science support to various elite and sub-elite athletes in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Helen continues to contribute to applied sports science work and research through projects at EIT.

Helen moved to Hawke’s Bay with her family in 2022 after 14 years at the University of Winchester in the south of England. Her family are particularly enjoying access to the many sports Hawke’s Bay has on offer, and you’ll often find Helen taking her children all over the area to compete in various sports.

Finding people, keeping people, and seeing people, organisations, communities and our economy grow – that’s what gets Rachel out of bed each day.

“Where does that come from? My good old-fashioned work ethic, and genuine desire to do good! My origins are in small town provincial NZ, and I’m a proud Otago University graduate with a career that’s exposed me to broad range of corporate, commercial and community experiences, here in NZ and abroad. I’m a long-time fan of the pace and diversity of urban NZ, but I’m also an Auckland escapee now firmly nestled in Hawke's Bay.

Over the years I’ve been tempted to detour off into leadership roles, but I can’t go past the satisfaction of helping multiple businesses and communities achieve more, by partnering in people strategy. I can’t and won’t ever be able to shrug off my absolute determination to make sure small and large, start-up or established businesses, across all sectors and industries can source the talent, skills, expertise and leadership that is required to take them and their teams into the future.”