SPORT
Sport Executive Search in New Zealand
Sport is run by leaders who hold high performance, community engagement and commercial discipline together.
Sport is run by leaders who hold high performance, community engagement and commercial discipline in the same week. From Auckland we partner with national sporting organisations, professional teams, regional bodies and high performance programmes on retained search for CEOs, High Performance Directors, Heads of Commercial and non-executive directors through our executive search practice. Every engagement starts with a board-grade brief built around purpose and performance.
The Market
New Zealand sport is a small but world-class ecosystem under more commercial pressure than ever.
Funding from Sport NZ, broadcast deals, sponsorship and participation revenue all face headwinds. Boards want CEOs who can grow commercial income, hold the high performance line and keep the community side of the sport strong.
Where the sector is shifting.
Commercialisation alongside community.
National sporting organisations are growing their commercial functions. Professional teams are running larger off-field operations. Sport-tech and analytics are reshaping high performance models.
Funding and leadership tenure.
Most NSOs face squeezed public funding. CEO tenure is shorter than it should be. Diverse, experienced board pipelines are still being built.
Cross-sport sharing and partnerships.
Cross-sport infrastructure and shared services are growing. International event hosting is on the rise. Strategic partnerships with iwi and community groups are deepening.
Who We Place
Leadership roles we search across sport.
- Chief Executive
- High Performance Director
- Head of Commercial
- Head of Community and Engagement
- Head of Pathways
- Performance Director
- Head of Sponsorship
- Chief Financial Officer
- Head of People and Culture
- Head of Marketing and Media
- Independent Chair
- Non-Executive Director
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
01. Do you recruit across both community and high performance?
Yes. We recruit across the full sport spectrum. That includes national sporting organisations, professional teams, regional sports bodies, high performance programmes and sport-tech businesses. Our retained search engagements cover both leadership and specialist roles.
02. Can you find chairs and non-executive directors with sport, high performance, governance and commercial backgrounds?
Yes. We maintain a curated Board & NED Network that includes operators, finance specialists, governance veterans and senior leaders with deep sport experience. We can build a chair shortlist, refresh a board, or place a single non-executive director.
03. What does an Infinitas sport search engagement look like?
Retained search. Every engagement begins with a board-grade brief covering role architecture, success measures, the operating context and the cultural lens. From there we run a structured market map, a long-list of identified candidates, structured interviews and competency assessment, references and a written shortlist report. Engagements typically run 8 to 12 weeks and test stakeholder, community and performance balance.
04. Where in New Zealand do you operate?
We are based in Auckland and run searches nationally. That includes Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Hamilton, Dunedin and the regions. Where a role requires a trans-Tasman or international map, we extend the search accordingly.
Related Sectors
Where leaders cross over.
GMs, Commercial Directors and Heads of Experience for tourism and hospitality operators.
Purpose-driven CEOs, Fundraising Directors and Heads of Programmes who champion communities.
CEOs, Heads of School and Directors of Finance, HR, Marketing and Technology for educational institutions.
Ready to Talk
Ready to build your next sport leadership team?
Partner with Infinitas to recruit CEOs, High Performance Directors and senior commercial leaders for New Zealand sport.