You made the move from New Zealand to the UK at a relatively young age, were you already envisaging a career as a professional sportsperson

I was lucky in that I was obsessed with sport at very young age and I went to a school that provided me access to try so many different ones. Cricket quickly became my passion and, aged 18, I had an urge to see Europe. My mum is English, so I had a passport, and my coach in New Zealand was an English guy that connected me with Warley cricket club in Halifax. So I packed a bag and off I went.

Although the absolute dream was to be a professional sportsperson, I was realistic. As a cricketer, I had made county level teams in New Zealand, but I had never represented the sport at a national level. I had never been in any academies or anything like that. As such, while I was ambitious and romanticised the notion, I was also pretty realistic that nothing was guaranteed and I'd have to really graft if I was to make it.

What were the biggest cultural and professional adjustments when you arrived in United Kingdom? 

When I was a kid, I would be up at 4am, working on the farm, milking cattle or spraying weeds. That life disappeared almost overnight. I'd say the biggest adjustment was less about New Zealand to the UK, but cricket to rugby. A lot of rugby is about really grafting hard, getting stuck in and leaving nothing on the pitch. Even though I was definitely a better cricketer than rugby player at school, I knew that if I was going to make something of this, I would have to adjust my mindset and mentality pretty quickly.

I guess, as well, I turned up in the UK with just a cricket bag and a desire to play cricket. I was pretty much still a kid, so I had to do a lot of growing up very quickly. The Yorkshire guys were excellent for that!

Was the door open to making a living playing cricket in the UK? 

I think it would have been tough. It was the dream, but I was coaching Warley's junior section, playing for the first team on a Saturday and a bit of T20 on the Wednesday. It was great trying something different, but it was small grounds and pretty soggy wickets. It was a great laugh as an 18 year old, but it probably became evident that other doors would need to be opened pretty quickly, otherwise it would be back to New Zealand. Don't get me wrong, I was having a great time, going for beers and the like with the lads, but I wasn't learning as much as I wanted to and I could tell that was holding me back.

At the back of my mind, I was already thinking about careers post-sport and I was aware that more doors definitely opened for ex-rugby players than cricketers. As such, that was always a consideration as I found my way in the UK.

What made you change sports and play professional rugby ?

Obviously cricket is a summer sport, so when Autumn came along, I had more time on my hands. A few of the guys from the cricket club invited me to come and play for Old Crossleyans in Yorkshire. It went well and I moved to Otley who play in the National Leagues. It was going well and I got a call one Friday from the Newcastle Falcons asking me to play for their A-Team against Northampton the following Monday. I literally got picked up by their academy manager at Wetherby Services.

I then got invited to training and started going up three times a week and a month later, they offered me a full-time deal. Although I definitely came to the UK with the ambition of playing cricket, I still loved rugby and I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity of a professional contact with a Premiership Rugby team.

How different were the environments and mentalities between cricket and rugby, both on and off the field?

Going from amateur cricket to professional rugby was, literally, a completely different ball game on so many levels. Firstly, there was the obvious physical differences. At the cricket club, you were washing your own kit, turning up on a Saturday in your own time and having a few beers after the game. At Newcastle, it was a fully professional outfit with incredible facilities. You have your diet and nutrition monitored and there is a just a lot more assistance, such as physio, kit and gyms. Having all this around me suddenly made me take it a hell of a lot more seriously.

I do believe there is a lot more control when it comes to rugby too. You can work hard at cricket, but a lot of it does come down to skill and raw talent. Look at the likes of Shane Warne or Joe Root, just unbelievable natural talents. In rugby, obviously skill and talent comes into play, but you can get fitter, you can get stronger, you can train harder. And that enables you to control your own destiny a lot more.

And then there's just the tempo of both sports. Cricket is kind of chilled and genteel. You come in when it's raining. You pause for lunch and tea. In rugby, you're training no matter the conditions, you're putting everything on the line and trying to take each other's heads off.

Was there a defining moment when you realised your future would extend beyond professional sport and into business?  

I think it really came when I had to learn from my mistakes. I played for the Newcastle Falcons and the England Sevens team, but I think I could have gone further if I had really applied myself more. In all honesty, I lost my work ethic and got complacent. I thought I had made it, but I hadn't. If I look back, I think I could have got to the top, top level.

After three years of playing for the Falcons, I moved to Ealing Trailfinders, which was a step down in divisions. Don't get me wrong, they are a great club and their rise has been incredible, but this was a real moment for me when I realised rugby is not the be all and end all and I would have to do something else.

That's when I got involved with a business called the London Cashmere Company, which I founded in 2019 - you could say I swapped pitches for stitches. While I was playing cricket, I had worked part time with an entrepreneur in Otley at a recycling organisation, which gave me a taste of business and the graft needed to make it succeed.

We launched the week before Christmas and I vividly remember that first transaction, where it became clear people suddenly wanted what you were providing. I was hooked and immediately knew there was a new path for me.

Many elite athletes struggle with identity after leaving competitive sport. How did you personally navigate that transition?    

On a personal level, and this may sound a bit strange, but I think it helped that I came to rugby relatively late. Many professional sportspeople, are in academies when they are kids and they know nothing else. I kind of had an identity before rugby, so it meant I wasn't completely defined by it after. I knew it was something that wasn't going to last forever, which I think a lot of sports folk, especially those that started at a young age, may struggle with when retiring from sport.

So, the London Cashmere Company was a couple of years old doing well and I definitely had the entrepreneurial bug, but I was still playing at Ealing. It was there that I met Grayson, and then again, when I moved to Bedford. Grayson had started Puresport with Adam Ash about nine months earlier. As I was a couple of years deeper into business, I had a bit more experience with the operational side of things like supply chain, accounting, tax - all the glamourous stuff - and I think they appreciated that perspective. The conversations continued and it wasn't long before I joined full time.

What skills from high-performance sport have proved most valuable in your role leading Puresport?

In sport, if you hit the gym consistently or you put the training in, you know you are going to get something out of it. It's not chance, it's consistency. That is something that has served me so well in business to date.

It may sound obvious, but competitiveness is key, especially in rugby. If you don't' have that streak and that drive to win, especially at the highest level, you've lost before you've even started.
And knowing how to work in a team is so important - whether that's leading or learning from others. As the leader, you need to know how to motivate a team. If I don't believe in Puresport, how on earth am I meant to get the team to and show up? It's lucky I couldn't believe in Puresport more!

As CEO, how would you describe your leadership style, and how much of it has been influenced by dressing-room culture in cricket and rugby?

It's been completely influenced by sport, by all the managers, captains and players around me.

I've been fortunate on two levels. The individuals I've worked with have all been so, so passionate - one of my main traits. Like them, I get my hands dirty, I lead from the front. I do challenge things, but I also listen respectfully because I absolutely don't know it all.

The New Zealand Men's All Blacks Team have a philospophy of "sweeping the sheds". They're some of the biggest sports stars on the planet, but they have a humility where they remember where they came from. As such, they will be packing their kit bag, loading the bus and cleaning the changing room when they are done, rather than leaving it to others. I'm lucky to come from a culture that instils this.

There is also mentality of leaving the jersey in a better place than when you first put it on. Zinzan Brooke, Richie McCaw, Dan Carter - they all believed in it and that's what made them great. That's what I'm aiming to do with Puresport, for sure.

And finally, it's about making people believe. As a leader, when you make a decision, you not only need to stick to it, but you need to bring people along for the journey.

Having experienced both elite sport and entrepreneurship, where do you see the strongest similarities between building a winning team in sport and building a successful business?

There are three things really. Firstly, being consistent - whether that's your mood, your mindset or simply showing up for the team or the brand. Secondly, being vulnerable - you can be the biggest lad on the pitch, but that doesn't mean you can't be brought crashing down by a fly-half or make the wrong decision. In business, I need to be brought down to earth, admit when I'm wrong and know I don't have all the answers. And finally, being resilient - in both sport and entrepreneurship, you need to fight for all the things you believe in. You need to lean into adversity and learn from it. Only then will you improve and win.

Looking back, were there any setbacks or injuries in your sporting career that unexpectedly helped prepare you for the realities of business?

I was lucky with injury, but I didn't kick on and reach the heights I think I was capable of, as I didn't consistently perform at the top level. I didn't get 100 Premiership caps or play ten tournaments for England and I think I could have. With all respect to Ealing, when I moved there from Newcastle, I knew I had let complacency win and I thought I'm not going to let that happen again. That mindset has really helped me.

I believe that, tough as it is, all humans need that one big failure in life to help them refocus, whether that's in sport, work or life in general. It makes us stronger and more resilient.

The wellness and performance sector has become hugely competitive. What made you believe Puresport could stand out in the UK market?   

There's definitely a bit of serendipity that we are accelerating during a huge running boom. And it helps that we've got a great product and brand, but everyone would say that. But I'd say the thing that really stands out is the level at which people connect with the brand. Personally, I'm at war with short cuts. Our mantra, For the Long Run, is not just about a 5k or a marathon, but about people committing to their goals and accepting it won't just happen overnight. We aren't just selling them grams of protein. We are selling them realism and that really resonates.

Has your bullishness been justified ? 

I believe so. On a transactional level, the business continues to blossom. Turnover has risen year-on-year from £1.65m in 2022 to £7m in 2025 and we will break the eight figure barrier this year.

But it's also the culture and community we've grown, It's the 200 people showing up before a shake-out run the day before the marathon, It's the way the campaigns are landing with people. It's the way that the team are so bought in and are doing our best work ever.

How do you see the next 3-5 years in Puresport?

As well as naturally being in all stores and going global, I want to build a category that both defines the brand and redefines running culture. But I reckon that will take ten years, so in five years, I'll be happy if we are halfway there. Running has traditionally been a solo sport. We want to be the brand that bridges the individual nature of running with the exploding culture we are seeing today.

But that will take time. And that's why For the Long Run exists. It's as much for us as it is for the beginner runner or Sebastian Sawe. It's about instilling the mentality that shortcuts aren't the answer and grafting over time will give the best results.

For young athletes considering life after sport, what advice would you give about preparing for a second career while still competing professionally?

Definitely avoid complacency at all costs. It creeps up on all of us, but the second you feel that unmistakeable feeling, tackle it head on and move up a gear. It will only set you up for greater success both in sport and business.

I would say that perspective is key and the sooner you can gain it. Pro sport is so highly pressured. There is constant analysis on how you play, is your place in the team safe, is that next contract coming? It does stifle a lot of people because of the pressure.

The truth is, when I had the London Cashmere Company, I actually played better. It made me realise that sport wasn't the be all and end all. So, I would say, find that thing away from pro sport that lets you be free. For me, that was business, but that could be family, religion, charity - everyone will have something.

Finally, when you reflect on your journey - from professional sport to CEO - what has been the most rewarding part of the transition?

I just love building stuff. I never fail to get a rush when I see an idea come out of someone's head and then seeing it come to life, even if it's seemingly simple.

Before the marathon, Mikey, our new Head of Brand said "did you know that PURESPORT is an anagram of SUPPORTER". My jaw hit the floor and a couple of weeks later we had the SUPPORTER LEMONADE stand on the side of the road. A couple of weeks ago, I was in the start pen at the Hackney Half and a woman took out one of our brand news gels. I loved it, not just because it was our brand, but it was our brand helping them better and improve themselves. Moments like that will never not get me.