Our Team

Simon Porter

Chief Executive

SIMON PORTER

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

LOU THOMPSON

Director

LOU THOMPSON

Director

WARREN ALCOCK

DIRECTOR

WARREN ALCOCK

DIRECTOR

DEAN HEGAN

HEAD OF RIGHTS

DEAN HEGAN

HEAD OF RIGHTS

HANNAH HICKLING

HEAD OF BRAND

HANNAH HICKLING

HEAD OF BRAND

NICOLE ANTONELLI

TALENT & ACTIVATIONS MANAGER

NICOLE ANTONELLI

TALENT & ACTIVATIONS MANAGER

HENRY BATES

TALENT MANAGER

HENRY BATES

TALENT MANAGER

GREG DYER

TALENT & RIGHTS MANAGER

GREG DYER

TALENT & RIGHTS MANAGER

DALE COOK

TALENT MANAGER

DALE COOK

TALENT MANAGER

KENT HALE

TALENT MANAGER

KENT HALE

TALENT MANAGER

RACHEL MOSS

FINANCE MANAGER

RACHEL MOSS

FINANCE MANAGER

SARA FARR

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER – BRAND

SARA FARR

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER – BRAND

JUN INABA

DIRECTOR

JUN INABA

DIRECTOR

ELIZA WALKER

OFFICE & CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER

ELIZA WALKER

OFFICE & CLIENT SERVICES 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

ANDREW MCCORMICK

GENERAL MANAGER – JAPAN

ANDREW MCCORMICK

GENERAL MANAGER – JAPAN

YUGA KURIHARA

TALENT MANAGER – JAPAN

YUGA KURIHARA

TALENT MANAGER – JAPAN

SHO SAMESHIMA

ACCOUNT MANAGER

SHO SAMESHIMA

ACCOUNT MANAGER

MAKOTO SUGIMOTO

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

MAKOTO SUGIMOTO

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

NATSUKO TAKAHASHI

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

NATSUKO TAKAHASHI

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

YUI YOKOYAMA

TALENT MANAGER – JAPAN

YUI YOKOYAMA

TALENT MANAGER – JAPAN

WAKAKO SATO

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

WAKAKO SATO

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER – JAPAN

JOE WHEELER

TALENT MANAGER

JOE WHEELER

TALENT MANAGER

KOSEI ONO

TALENT MANAGER

KOSEI ONO

TALENT MANAGER

SHIZUKA GARD

ACCOUNT MANAGER

SHIZUKA GARD

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Simon Porter

Chief Executive



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.

Lou Thompson

Director



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.

Warren Alcock

Director



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



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



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.

Nicole Antonelli

Talent & Activations Manager



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



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.

Greg Dyer

TALENT & RIGHTS MANAGER



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.

Dale Cook

Talent Manager



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.

Kent Hale

Talent Manager



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.

Rachel Moss

Finance Manager



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.

Sara Farr

Senior Account Manager - Brand



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.

Jun Inaba

Director



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.

Eliza Walker

Office & Client Services Manager



Graduating with a Bachelor of Physical Education, Eliza worked and travelled throughout Europe before settling back to New Zealand. Coming from a marketing, events and office management background, Eliza enjoys focusing on developing programmes that deliver efficient and robust operational processes within the business. Eliza joined the company in 2019 and is responsible for managing the day-to-day running of key business areas. She is a mum of two and the friendly face that welcomes you on arrival to Halo Sport.

Alex Stanton

Head of Client Services - New Zealand



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



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.

Andrew McCormick

General Manager - Japan



Andrew McCormick relocated to Japan in 1992 to play rugby after representing Canterbury and New Zealand sides for 6 years. He played and coached Toshiba for 10 successful years and during this time played for the Japan national team from 1996 to 1999. He was the first foreigner to ever captain a Japanese national sports team when he captained the side from 1997 to 1999. In June 2000, Andrew was presented the UNESCO fair play award for his contribution to the Japan national Rugby team. Since then Andrew has played and coached other Japanese teams to numerous success and joined the company in 2014 as a Japanese rugby advisor.

Yuga Kurihara

Talent Manager - Japan



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.

Sho Sameshima

Account Manager



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.

Makoto Sugimoto

Client Services Manager - Japan



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.

Natsuko Takahashi

Client Services Manager - Japan



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



After relocating back to Japan from living in New Zealand for 12 years Yui joined the company in 2017. During his time in New Zealand he completed his education and went to Waikato University and worked part time as a translator with the Super Rugby Chiefs franchise. Yui is responsible for sourcing and managing contract opportunities for up and coming talent out of the Pacific Islands who are relocating to Japan and provides ongoing support and assistance to them.

Wakako Sato

Client Services Manager - Japan



Joe Wheeler

Talent Manager



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.

Kosei Ono

Talent Manager



Kosei was born in Japan but raised in Christchurch and started playing rugby from the age of 6. At 19, he took the opportunity to play professional rugby in Japan and made his RWC debut in the 2007 RWC. Throughout a 14 year professional career, he played for the Munakata Sanix Blues and Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath. Capped for Japan 34 times, he also played a part in the highly successful 2015 RWC team.

Since retiring from professional sport, Kos has joined Halo Sport as a Talent Manager. His aspiration it to not only assist players throughout their successful rugby careers in Japan but also to highlight to them how to enjoy their time in this country and to fully embrace the Japanese culture.

Shizuka Gard

Account Manager



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.

Tim Harvey

Head of Japan



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.