MEDIA RELEASE
April 5, 2013

Kiwi sporting legend to carry on Sir Peter Blake’s legacy

Kiwi sporting legend and Olympic gold medalist, Hamish Carter, has taken up an important role with the Sir Peter Blake Trust and is looking forward to following in the footsteps of one of New Zealand’s greatest leaders and marine environmentalists.

As GM Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship, Carter will be responsible for nurturing the Trust’s relationships with its network of sponsors and key stakeholders. His role will involve actively pursuing additional funding, support and sponsorship for the organisation, which was established in 2004 to honour the late Sir Peter Blake’s inspiring leadership and passion for the marine environment.

Since retiring from competitive sport in early 2007, Carter has held corporate roles with Lion Nathan and Xero, where he was focused on professional development for high-performing employees. However, the role at the Sir Peter Blake Trust provided not only a new challenge, but it was also an organisation that was close to his heart.

“Growing up in New Zealand, Sir Peter Blake was one of my heroes. Through his leadership, passion and vision he mobilised an entire nation to get behind Team New Zealand to win the America’s Cup. And winning it showed people, like me, what you can achieve, even if it seems impossible, when you dare to dream and then get out there and do it, says Carter.

Sir Peter Blake's life as a yachtsman, adventurer, leader and guardian of the environment was tragically cut short on 5 December 2001. But those who knew and loved the legendary Kiwi vowed his work would live on, and, out of this, emerged a determination to create a living legacy, in the form of the Sir Peter Blake Trust, which stayed true to his philosophy of 'deeds, not words'.

“I’m honoured to be working for an organisation that is focused on continuing Sir Peter’s incredible legacy and one that has such a great network of sponsors, leaders, supporters and partners,” says Carter. “Now I just can’t wait to get my red socks on and get started,” he adds.

Sir Peter Blake Trust CEO, Shelley Campbell, says, “Sir Peter often said that the hardest part of any great endeavour was to begin and we’re thrilled to have Hamish onboard, as he is a perfect example of what you can accomplish once you take the steps to achieving your dreams. Like Sir Peter, Hamish is a great role model for young Kiwis and brings a range of skills to this exciting new role. We know he is going to make a great addition to the Sir Peter Blake Trust team.”

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Notes to editors for Hamish Carter
1. Additional to his role at the Sir Peter Blake Trust, Hamish Carter sits on the board of High Performance Sport New Zealand and the Spirit of Adventure Trust
2. Hamish won a gold medal in triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics, his second Olympic Games and a bronze medal in triathlon at the 2002 Commonwealth Game
3. During his career he won twelve ITU world cup races
4. Hamish also competed on the International Triathlon Union World Cup circuit as a professional for many years, culminating in a silver medal in 2006 before announcing his retirement in early 2007
5. In 2009, Hamish founded SportConnect, a business that delivers a creative approach to sponsorship, by enabling professional athletes into commercial relationships through Sky Television

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