In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 18, our guest is the CEO of the NZ Olympic Committee, Nicki Nicol  Nicki spent almost 20 years with global giant BP where she worked around the world in a wide range of executive roles.  She returned to New Zealand and took up the role of Chief Financial Officer at NZ Rugby, where among other achievements, she led the Respect & Responsibility Review.  She subsequently became the Deputy CEO of NZ Rugby, until a new challenge arrived and she was appointed as the CEO of the NZ Olympic Committee two years ago – at a time when the Commonwealth Games and Winter Olympics of 2022 were both less than three months away.  Nicki is surprisingly forthright on the state of sports in New Zealand and the opportunities that sport provides across the board, from a showcase of the country, to a learning ground for our school age children.  She talks to Bruce about the challenges of sports funding and having to raise money from sponsorship and philanthropy in order to get a team of almost 400 people to the Games.  She also discusses a resurgence in New Zealand’s track & field athletes and our emerging crop of top swimmers. And then there is the ongoing battle with the drugs cheats, and in a troubled world the concerns and resultant plans, regarding athlete safety.  Finally, we even get a preview on where she thinks New Zealand might be in the medal hunt.  Episode 18 of Leaders Getting Coffee provides another great story about a New Zealand woman who learned her trade in one of the world’s biggest companies, and who brought those skills home to add to our already remarkable sporting pedigree. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.