Raelene Castle, ONZM
Role: Keynote Speaker, Speaker
Themes: Business, Lifestyle & Wellbeing, Motivation, Politics & Advocacy, Sports
Raelene Castle is the CEO of Sport New Zealand and one of the country’s most experienced sports leaders.
Across a career that has spanned elite sport, corporate leadership and governance, Raelene has led organisations through periods of growth, challenge and significant change. She joined Sport New Zealand in December 2020, following seven years in Australia as Chief Executive of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and later Rugby Australia. Prior to that, she served as Chief Executive of Netball New Zealand from 2007 to 2013.
Before moving into sports administration, Raelene built a successful corporate career in communications, sales and marketing, holding senior leadership roles at Telecom New Zealand (now Spark), Bank of New Zealand and Fuji Xerox. She has also contributed at governance level across international sport, including board roles with ANZ Championship Netball, the International Federations of Netball Associations, SANZAAR Rugby and the World Rugby Council.
A former representative netball, tennis and lawn bowls player, Raelene understands high-performance environments from both the boardroom and the field. In 2015, she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Business and Sport.
On stage, Raelene is candid, thoughtful and practical. She shares lessons drawn from leading complex organisations, navigating scrutiny, and building resilient cultures. Her sessions are grounded in real experience and delivered with openness, offering audiences honest reflections on leadership, resilience and organisational transformation.
Through compelling storytelling, Raelene offers clear, actionable insights that help individuals and teams strengthen performance while staying anchored in values.
