For someone who says his “best laid plans” haven’t always worked out, Rob Waddell has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments. An Olympic goal medallist in single sculls rowing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he carried the New Zealand flag at the closing ceremony and went on to compete in two more Olympic Games.
In between Olympics, he crewed in three America’s Cup sailing campaigns as a ‘grinder’ with Team New Zealand, even though he had no previous sailing experience, and went on to represent Waikato in rugby in addition to attaining a black belt in judo.
“I would have loved to have played rugby for longer and risen to great heights in that sport,” says Waddell.
“But I know I’ve been incredibly privileged to have had the experiences I’ve had.
“It all comes down to finding something you are passionate about because you become more open to pushing yourself and learning.”
Waddell’s career has not just been sport. He has completed a Bachelor of Management Studies at honours level at Waikato University, majoring in marketing and Japanese.
Incredibly, he managed all this while quietly battling a debilitating heart condition which resulted in open heart surgery in 2009.
Not yet 50 years of age, Waddell’s career has evolved into leadership, mentoring, and entrepreneurship, while he has maintained his links with the Olympic movement as ‘chef de mission’ for New Zealand teams.
Although he first achieved success in an individual sport, Waddell has also enjoyed great achievements in team situations where has made “lifelong friends.”
“Even if you’re not the designated captain or leader, you can be the very best in your area,” he says.
“I think no matter where you sit in the hierarchy everyone can be outstanding in their own individual field, and make that contribution.”
While enjoying many accomplishments on a variety of sporting fields, Waddell says that success and fulfilment is not always about winning.
“I like the quote from Sir Edmund Hillary (the NZ mountaineer who was the first to conquer Mt Everest), who said that ‘it is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.’”
“I think that is an amazing reflection on personal achievement, because while life is often measured by whether you come first or second, I think it’s about what you get out of it personally.”
Unsurprisingly, Waddell is more about “process, not outcome,” and lives by keywords such as “detail, work ethic, excellence, attitude and teamwork.”
He says this approach is what gives him his “inner peace.” In reflecting on his time in sport, he says some of the accomplishments that he cherishes most cannot necessarily be measured by whether he won or lost.
His heart diagnosis was a major personal challenge, culminating in an eight hour operation.
“I had to manage the condition, atrial fibrillation, during my rugby career and it got the point where I had no choice,” says Waddell.
“The biggest relief was finally diagnosing it and getting to the bottom of what was wrong, because so much of what we fear comes from what we don’t understand.
“Actually drilling down and finding out that I did have this medical problem was a major turning point for me because that is when I started to find solutions, and up until then I was boxing at shadows.”
In addition to his commitment to his family, much of Waddell’s focus is on his mentoring and entrepreneurial roles, one of which is with the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation and its Endowment Fund, which provides opportunities for New Zealanders living with a disability to participate in sport.
Created out of the initiatives of Murray Halberg, who won a gold medal in athletics at the 1960 Olympics, the organisation has been working on its mission for around 60 years.
Rob Waddell is a former Halberg trustee, a three time recipient of the Halberg Supreme Award and maintains strong links with the organisation.
“This is a combination of work and something I care very deeply about,” he says.
“As in all of my work now I’m fascinated by the business challenge, but it’s about turning it into something far greater than it is and something that has the scale to help more people.
“That is what drives me and that’s what I’m aiming at.”
Rob will be speaking at the IPWEA Aotearoa Public Works Engineering Excellence Awards Gala Dinner at the Northern Club, Auckland, on 1 May, 2025. Visit our website for more information on the event: https://ipwea.org.nz/educationandevents/awards
