Greg Knowles (chair)
Knowles returned to the Yachting New Zealand board in 2023 after earlier serving as chair and president. He is a retired senior partner and former board director of KPMG, where he advised on some of the largest mergers and acquisitions in the country. As a sailor, Knowles and Murray Jones placed fifth at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games in the Flying Dutchman and fourth in Barcelona four years later. He was also a director of Ski Racing New Zealand and is a past president of Tongariro Ski Club.
Sarah Bacon
Bacon is a former lawyer, business owner, and mother of three sailors. She practised law for over 20 years (10 as a partner) and founded successful skincare brand Velettà in 2017. Bacon is a director of three construction-focussed companies, the chair of the Digital Media Trust, a founding trustee of the Boat and Beach Wise Trust, and a member of Worser Bay Boating Club, where she served as the secretary of the club’s general committee for several years.
Nik Burfoot
Burfoot is a CFA charterholder and has worked in the technology and finance industries globally for the past 20 years. A former ILCA 7 (Laser) world champion, Burfoot was a dominant force in the class during the 1990s. More recently, he has served as head of the centreboard division at Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club, overseeing the annual Tauranga regatta - one of the biggest multi-class regattas in the country.
John Butcher MNZM
Butcher is a simulation specialist and senior instructor for Serco NZ Training Services (Defence), contributing to the professional and personal development of naval officers in the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). He has a background in leadership, navigation, ship handling and naval warfare, retiring in the rank of Commander after 33 years with the RNZN. Butcher also has extensive experience within higher defence and government departments, is an avid sailor, and previously served as the commodore of Gulf Harbour Yacht Club.
Nick Gillies
Gillies is a litigation lawyer and managing partner at Hesketh Henry, with extensive experience in senior management and governance roles, including leading the development of one of New Zealand’s largest construction law practices. Originally from the South Island and now based in Auckland, he is a lifelong club-level sailor with experience across grassroots and high-performance yachting. A sailing parent of three, he also races and cruises his Young 88. Gillies was closely involved, in a voluntary campaign adviser role, with New Zealand’s 2024 Olympic 49er silver medal-winning campaign, including attending the Olympic sailing event in Marseille, France.
Nicola Harrison
A senior project manager with Beca, Harrison specialises in risk and design management in the construction industry - guiding projects through the design process and providing high-level risk management advice and risk escalation reporting to governance boards. She is an active sailor, is passionate about increasing female participation in the sport, and currently serves on Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club's general committee and as the secretary for TYPBC Women on Water.
Bridget Winstone-Kight
Winstone-Kight is a director in PwC’s Workforce team, helping clients solve problems and create value through their workforce. A non-practising lawyer, and a certified executive coach with an MBA from the London Business School, she has held several governance positions in the private and public sectors. Winstone-Kight is a current member of the Institute of Directors and played for the Black Sticks women’s hockey team from 2005-2009. She also captained the New Zealand Women's Masters Hockey team at the Masters World Cup in Cape Town in October 2024.
