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 (deputy chair)
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.
Catherine Brown
Brown brings more than 20 years' experience in marketing and customer engagement across financial services, health insurance and pharmaceutical sectors in New Zealand and internationally. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health and an honours degree in arts from the University of Otago. Her recent roles at Southern Cross include Acting Head of Marketing and Brand Experience and Retention and Engagement Lead, where she was responsible for marketing, loyalty and engagement strategies for a customer base of around one million people. Her career has included senior marketing positions at BNZ and ANZ, as well as agency and consultancy work in New Zealand and London across global brands in banking, telecommunications and healthcare.
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.
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.
Jason Shoebridge
Shoebridge is chief executive of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, where he leads economic and policy analysis. A chartered accountant, he holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and Finance from the University of Auckland and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, as well as a member of the Institute of Directors. His governance experience includes roles as chair of Aktive, deputy chair of Sport New Zealand and director of NIWA, alongside trustee and audit committee positions with the Youthtown charitable trust and several school boards. Shoebridge also chairs the Regional Sports Trust Network Steering Group and has held a range of governance roles across the public sector and sport system, with a focus on audit, risk and strategy. Earlier in his career, he held senior executive roles, including chief executive of Kantar Insight New Zealand and managing director of Kantar TNS, leading growth and analytics initiatives across the Asia-Pacific region.
Nigel Skeggs
Skeggs has more than two decades of leadership experience across the maritime, tourism and infrastructure sectors in New Zealand and the Pacific. He has recently been elected as a councillor for Nelson City Council and therefore stood down as the chief executive of Nelson Marina Management Limited, where he oversaw a significant transformation, including the transition to a council-controlled organisation, development of a $120 million masterplan and delivery of key infrastructure projects. He also serves as vice president of the New Zealand Marina Industries Association and previously spent 14 years in Fiji as managing director of Port Denarau Marina, growing it into a leading superyacht and marine tourism hub. Skeggs has also held governance roles with the Fiji Maritime Safety Authority and the Fiji New Zealand Business Council. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from the University of Otago, along with multiple governance qualifications from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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 to 2009. She also captained the New Zealand Women's Masters Hockey team at the Masters World Cup in Cape Town in October 2024.
