Our New Lead Retail Operations & Development Manager

About Wayne

I grew up in the rural Waikato town of Te Awamutu and now reside in Cambridge.

I started out in the Agricultural sector out of school before following my passion for cycling and landing a role as an area representative for a large NZ bicycle distributor. From there I moved into a category buying role with one of NZ’s leading bicycle retailers, which encompassed buying, forecasting, logistics among other roles. Following this I moved to NZ’s largest bicycle retailers as their national operations manager. I was responsible for helping open 20 + new stores, recruiting many employees as well as ensuring the “day to day” functions ran smoothly. 

I’ve always had a passion for getting things done, but also looking at how I could do things better. This is what attracted me to operations, being able to walk into an organisation, talk with the people, then work together to implement positive change. To do this effectively you need the buy-in of those around you. I believe these are strengths I’ll be able to bring to Velobike.

Joining Velobike

What attracted me to Velobike was Glenn and the team's ability to create leading edge track cycling products that have then gone on to yield Olympic medals. Everything that Velobike does filters through this “Olympic level lens".  What has been achieved to this point is phenomenal and I really wanted to be part of the future journey. 

My day’s so far see me keeping across communication from customers, wholesale partners as well as federations. On top of this I’ve started looking at improvements across multiple areas to ensure we have robust systems and processes in place. I’ve spent time across most areas of the business, so I feel I’m starting to get a really strong understanding of the Velobike business.

What I’m most excited about now that I’m working at Velobike is being a part of future development projects. I love the creative side and seeing a project start at the design stage then through to the finished product on peoples bikes. 

Passions + Personality

I am a passionate cyclist, who’s been riding/racing since the late 80’s. I love all things about the bike, spending time on the track, road, gravel and the MTB trails.

My favourite piece of cycling innovation has to be how training has evolved over the years that I’ve been a cyclist. With the introduction of powermeters, structured training, improvements in nutrition, then there’s aerodynamics……the list goes on. 

Outside of work I enjoy time with my family, listening to records, reading non-fiction books, gardening and motorsport.

Fun fact - I wanted to complete an ironman in my late 20’s, I didn’t really have any expectations, however went on to finish in the top five in my age group and inside the top 50 overall. 

Looking Ahead

I want to get a better understanding of the design and development side of the business, this is an area that truly interests me. I also want to have a well rounded understanding of all parts of Velobike. For me “getting under the bonnet” and really finding out what makes our business tick is key for me, especially when it comes to areas like continuous improvement, staff training as well as future system and process developments.

Goals for the coming year: Primarily I just want to help Velobike grow, I know that’s very broad, however if I can take workload off other team members and ultimately ensure we’re moving forward in a positive way, then we’ll be a more successful business.

Wayne’s already been hands-on with continuous improvement on our product packaging solutions, strengthening our relationships with suppliers as well as federation and wholesale partners. He’s also been involved in strengthening our team, so we’re setting ourselves up for future growth. Finally he’s keen to bring fresh thinking to areas like creating a Lean culture, we as a business are already on this journey, however it is an area Wayne has a real passion for and wants to improve on. 

Please join us in giving Wayne a big Velobike welcome next time you’re in touch, don’t hesitate to say hi!