Our Team

Simon Porter

Managing Director

SIMON PORTER

Managing Director

WARREN ALCOCK

Executive Director

WARREN ALCOCK

Executive Director

DEAN HEGAN

HEAD OF RIGHTS

DEAN HEGAN

HEAD OF RIGHTS

HANNAH HICKLING

HEAD OF BRAND

HANNAH HICKLING

HEAD OF BRAND

JUN INABA

Executive Director

JUN INABA

Executive Director

RACHEL MOSS

Head of Finance

RACHEL MOSS

Head of Finance

NICOLE ANTONELLI

TALENT & ACTIVATIONS MANAGER

NICOLE ANTONELLI

TALENT & ACTIVATIONS MANAGER

HENRY BATES

TALENT MANAGER

HENRY BATES

TALENT MANAGER

DALE COOK

TALENT MANAGER

DALE COOK

TALENT MANAGER

GREG DYER

TALENT & RIGHTS MANAGER

GREG DYER

TALENT & RIGHTS MANAGER

SHIZUKA GARD

ACCOUNT MANAGER

SHIZUKA GARD

ACCOUNT MANAGER

KENT HALE

TALENT MANAGER

KENT HALE

TALENT MANAGER

Saki Konagai

Client Services Manager

Saki Konagai

Client Services Manager

YUGA KURIHARA

Head of Rugby – Japan

YUGA KURIHARA

Head of Rugby – Japan

COURTNEY MACDONALD

Senior Account Manager

COURTNEY MACDONALD

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

ALEX STANTON

HEAD OF CLIENT SERVICES – NEW ZEALAND

ALEX STANTON

HEAD OF CLIENT SERVICES – NEW ZEALAND

MILS MULIAINA

RELATIONSHIP MANAGER

MILS MULIAINA

RELATIONSHIP MANAGER

SHO SAMESHIMA

ACCOUNT MANAGER

SHO SAMESHIMA

ACCOUNT MANAGER

JOE WHEELER

TALENT MANAGER

JOE WHEELER

TALENT MANAGER

TAY HAWKER

Commercial Manager

TAY HAWKER

Commercial Manager

NANA HIRATA

Head of Client Services, Japan

NANA HIRATA

Head of Client Services, Japan

NATSUKO TAKAHASHI

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

NATSUKO TAKAHASHI

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

YUI YOKOYAMA

TALENT MANAGER – JAPAN

YUI YOKOYAMA

TALENT MANAGER – JAPAN

AYAKA HONDA

Financial Accountant

AYAKA HONDA

Financial Accountant

WAKAKO SATO

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

WAKAKO SATO

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

Simon Porter

Managing Director

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Simon was appointed CEO in 2017. One of New Zealand’s leading NZRPA accredited agents, Simon has been working in either sports law or the sporting industry since graduating from the University of Otago with his Law degree in 1999. Simon’s experience is extensive with his network through the rugby world unrivaled having brokered contracts for his clients in every professional market within the rugby world. Simon’s knowledge of sporting and sponsorship contracts is second to none.

Warren Alcock

Executive Director

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Warren has been with the company since its inception and was the first NZRPA accredited agent and described by NZ Rugby Chief Executive Steve Tew ‘as probably the most influential agent in the country’. In 2010, Warren featured at number 18 in the NZ Herald list of the 25 biggest powerbrokers in New Zealand sport, and a year later he was sixth in NZ Rugby World magazines most influential sports people. In 2015, he was named 24th, and in 2017, 48th in the New Zealand Lawyer Power list which ranks the country’s leading and most influential lawyers. Warren has been involved in all aspects of sports law throughout a 28-year sports management career.

Dean Hegan

Head of Rights

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Dean has extensive experience in sourcing, negotiating and managing global sponsorship opportunities for professional athletes. This sees him managing multi-layered sponsorship portfolios for several New Zealand’s top sports people including Richie McCaw and Dan Carter. Dean is continually engaged in the commercial market space looking for sponsorship opportunities managing the process from athlete’s day to day commitments to contract placement and negotiation, sponsorship, media and brand endorsements.

Hannah Hickling

Head of Brand

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Hannah has worked in the commercial side of sports marketing both in New Zealand and abroad. Moving to the UK following a successful DHL New Zealand British & Irish Lions series in 2005 Hannah switched alliance and managed the commercial programme for the 2009 British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa. Hannah returned to New Zealand in 2010 to manage the involvement in Rugby World Cup 2011 and now heads the brand division of Halo Sport.

Jun Inaba

Executive Director

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Jun has been a member of the Dentsu Sport team for over 10 years and was seconded from Dentsu Inc to join Halo Sport in 2019 and plays an important role in the development of the Dentsu rugby business in the future. Jun has tremendous experience in nearly all facets of sports marketing with a strong focus on sponsorship sales, activation, client services and sponsorship management.

Rachel Moss

Head of Finance

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Rachel is a qualified accountant who joined in 2008 as Finance Manager. After starting her career as an auditor, Rachel then worked in a number of financial accounting roles in both private and publicly listed companies. Rachel is responsible for the finance division at Halo Sport.

Nicole Antonelli

Talent & Activations Manager

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Nicole joined the company in 2015, having previously worked in the sports marketing and event industry both in New Zealand and abroad on major events including Rugby World Cup 2011 and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She works across both the brand and talent divisions to identify commercial opportunities and deliver engaging activations for our clients as well as managing some of our individual athletes and women’s rugby clients.

Henry Bates

Talent Manager

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Henry graduated from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Physical Education in 2008. He was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2009 and previously worked as a litigation lawyer. His advocacy experience is invaluable when representing athletes in contract negotiations, sponsorship matters, employment disputes and at disciplinary/judicial hearings. Henry also provides legal support to the Talent and Commercial teams. Henry joined in 2011 and is based in the Auckland office and travels regularly around the rugby world. Henry has been a NZRPA accredited agent since 2014 and an NRL accredited agent since 2018.

Dale Cook

Talent Manager

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Dale lived and worked overseas playing rugby and cricket whilst working in the finance industry. On returning to New Zealand in 2012, he joined the company and set up the Christchurch office. He has vast experience advising and negotiating his clients playing contracts both in New Zealand and overseas and also worked to create opportunities in the commercial and sponsorship space for his clients as well as many top All Blacks. Dale has been an accredited NZRPA agent since 2016 and an NRL accredited agent since 2018.

Greg Dyer

TALENT & RIGHTS MANAGER

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Greg came on board in 2007 following a 20-year career in IT and Banking working in senior global positions before retiring from corporate life to be a fulltime parent. In 2002, he became shareholder and CEO of the Auckland Stars basketball team and set up his own sports management business and online sports celebrity business. Greg originally joined the company as Head of Cricket, managing many elite New Zealand cricketers as well as selling commercial rights and sponsorship properties. Greg’s focus is now on talent management and sponsorship and commercial rights.

Shizuka Gard

Account Manager

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After living in France and Japan with my rugby playing partner I have enjoyed returning to New Zealand and being able to come into Halo Sport in the capacity of an Account Manager.

Working with our Japanese based clients, my goal is to assist Halo with the ever-growing presence of rugby in this region. Having previous work experience in sales, events and marketing in Japan, I have good insight into what we as a company can do to grow our business in this market. I go the extra mile and take pride in all that I do at Halo Sport as I continue to work to make that market growth happen. I am a working Mum of two and am currently based in Auckland.

Kent Hale

Talent Manager

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Kent came on board in late 2017, having run his own sports management agency since 2005. He has more than 20 years of experience in the sports industry and across this time has managed a wide range of international and local clients ranging from school leavers to All Blacks and every level in between. Kent has been an accredited NZRPA agent since 2008.

Saki Konagai

Client Services Manager

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After living in New Zealand for 20 years, Saki has returned to Japan and joined Halo Sport in July 2022.

Since graduating from Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2008, she has enjoyed a long career in the hotel and events industries and built an exceptional skillset in sales, customer service and client relationships. This, along with her fluency in English, will ensure Saki will offer incredible support to our clients and their families, so that they can live in Japan with peace of mind.

Yuga Kurihara

Head of Rugby – Japan

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Yuga is responsible sourcing, managing and negotiating client contracts in Japan as well as helping clients and their families make the most of their time in Japan by providing them with assistance they need. He joined the company in 2015 and brings a wealth of rugby knowledge in Japan’s premier competition Top League, having worked for NTT Communications, Toshiba and Toyota Industries and has provided on the ground to support to numerous international teams visiting Japan.

Courtney MacDonald

Senior Account Manager

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Courtney has worked in event roles for national sport organisations both in New Zealand and abroad including the 2014 & 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2020 Women’s Cricket World hosted here in New Zealand.

Working as a Senior Account Manager, Courtney works with our clients in the commercial space to help bring awareness to and activate their partnerships.

Alex Stanton

Head of Client Services - New Zealand

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Alex joined in 2016 having previously travelled the world working on super yachts. Upon her return to NZ she worked in the events team at the University of Auckland. Alex’s role in the client service team is a unique but vital cog in the wheel. Alex provides knowledge in the area of client relocations and is utilised primarily when a player/coach and their family choose to relocate to another country.

Mils Muliaina

Relationship Manager

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Mils Muliaina was the second All Black to reach 100 test caps. He represented the All Blacks from 2003 until the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He scored 33 test tries for New Zealand and remains among the top 30 highest try scorers in test history. Mils played professional rugby across 18 seasons from 1999 to 2016 which included stints in Japan, Ireland, Italy and the USA. Mils joined the Halo Sport team in 2019 where he will use his wealth of experience to assist Halo Sport’s young clients and their families.

Sho Sameshima

Account Manager

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Sho joined in 2018, having previously worked in the travel industry as a sports event and marketing specialist. Sho is responsible for generating and managing rugby partnership opportunities between New Zealand based Super Rugby franchises and Japanese professional rugby teams as well as providing expert knowledge on the Japanese rugby market to the talent division.

Joe Wheeler

Talent Manager

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Joe (Joey) Wheeler played professional rugby across 14 seasons in New Zealand and Japan for the Tasman Mako, Crusaders, Highlanders, Maori All Blacks and Suntory Sungoliath before having to retire in 2020 due to a neck injury.

Joey joined the Halo Sport team in 2022 where he will use his worldly experiences and knowledge of professional sport to help grow and get the best out of our athletes on and off the field.

Joey also works as a presenter and pundit on Sky Sport.

Tay Hawker

Commercial Manager

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A kiwi born and raised; Tay moved to the United States to play university rugby in 2012. While in the US, Tay received his Bachelors in Sports Management with Minors in both Marketing and Political Science from Lindenwood University. Tay then began his career as a Commercial Partnerships & Player Personnel Assistant for the St. Louis Rams (NFL), before moving into Premium Sales with the Los Angeles Clippers (NBA). Tay gained his Masters of Sport Law & Business from Arizona State University in 2020 while working in Student - Athlete Development for Sun Devil Athletics (NCAA). He then started his own sports agency specializing in representation of both NCAA and Professional Athletes, before joining Halo in November of 2022.

Nana Hirata

Head of Client Services, Japan

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Nana has studied and worked in New Zealand and Cook Islands before she joined then-called Essentially, Halo Sport, in 2014. She currently is Head of client services in Japan and her goal is to support clients, help them have a good environment to have best performances.

Natsuko Takahashi

Client Services Manager - Japan

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Natsuko came on board in 2018 after working in Human Resources for the past 12 years. She is based in Kobe, Japan and is part of our client service team managing clients and their families who have relocated to the Kobe and Osaka region.

Yui Yokoyama

Talent Manager - Japan

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After spending 12 years in New Zealand, Yui joined Halo Sport in 2017. Graduating from intermediate, high school, university, and finishing masters in New Zealand, majoring in education at the University of Waikato, Yui also worked as an interpreter for the Super Rugby Chiefs at the same time. Yui negotiates, promotes, and provide support for players from varieties of countries, cultures, and ages, from first-class players to amateur players from Europe, Australia, South Africa, Pacific Islands, and Japan, pursuing excellence in providing services that are best interest of the players.

Ayaka Honda

Financial Accountant

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Ayaka graduated university in New York and lived there for 9 years.

Started her career in accounting firm and worked in New York and Japan before.

Currently, living in Japan and working in finance of Halo Sport.

Wakako Sato

Client Services Manager - Japan

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Lou Thompson

Executive Director

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Lou was CEO of Essentially and CSM NZ until 2017 and is now a director of Halo Sport. Lou’s is considered a global rugby specialist with his current role covering many aspects of the Halo Sport business but with a particular emphasis on new business development in the Japanese rugby market. Lou kick started the Halo Sport journey when he set up Global Sports Management (GSM) in 2001 and takes great pride in being a key architect in creating the leading global rugby management company.

Tim Harvey

Head of Japan

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Tim has been involved in professional rugby in Japan for more than 20 years. Originally raised in Japan, but currently residing in New Zealand, is a native Japanese speaker. He has led the Japan office for more than 16 years where he has grown his Japan based team and business to successfully sign more than 400 clients into Japan as well as manage events and sponsorship deals in Japan. He is a member of the Japanese New Zealand Business Council, a Justice of the Peace and a Marriage Celebrant.

Sara Farr

Senior Account Manager - Brand

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Sara has worked in events and commercial roles for national sport organisations both in New Zealand and abroad, including 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Working in the brand division of Halo Sport, Sara works to engage new clients, supporting them strategically and creatively to activate their brand and optimise their sponsorship rights.

Makoto Sugimoto

Client Services Manager - Japan

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Makoto grew up in Sugadaira one of the rugby meccas in Japan and spent nine years in New Zealand working in retail management. Upon relocating back to Japan, Makoto joined in 2018 and is based in Tokyo. She is part of our client service team managing clients and their families who have relocated to the Chiba and Tokai region.