Olympic glory and a new chapter in business
An Olympian’s journey from the world of sports to business leadership
A love for the water begins early
The water has always been part of Moss James Burmester’s life. Growing up in Tauranga, Moss’s connection to water began at an early age, influenced by his family’s love for the ocean. “My parents loved the ocean and the outdoors, so we would regularly be in the boat or at the beach. Naturally, I got introduced to the water at an early age, both through swimming and other water sports,” Moss shares.
At age five, Moss swam his first-ever length of an Olympic-size pool (50m). From there, his connection to the water only grew. He joined Otumoetai Swimming Club in Tauranga and progressed through the squads until coach Clive Power came on the scene at age 14. Moss reflects, “I only started full training when I was almost 15, which is quite a late start, really considered quite late for swimming.”
From then on, swimming became his number one sport and focus as he set out to achieve a childhood dream of representing New Zealand at the Olympic Games. After ten years of training and competing under Clive, Moss made his way to Auckland’s Millennium Institute of Sport, where he trained with coaches Thomas Ansorg and Jan Cameron. The journey would eventually lead him to represent New Zealand on the world’s biggest stage: the Olympic Games.
From national talent to international competitor
Moss’s commitment to swimming became evident. He represented New Zealand at two Olympic Games (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008) and three Commonwealth Games. His achievements include winning gold and bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, fourth place at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, World Short Course Champion at 2008 Manchester, and setting Commonwealth and New Zealand records in the 200m Butterfly event.
Reflecting on these achievements, Moss says, “Swimming was the main sport I decided to pursue. My real breakthrough moment was making my first New Zealand team in 2000 for the Oceania Championships and qualifying for my first Olympics in 2004. Competing at the Olympics is a dream come true for any athlete.”
One of his proudest moments was at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. “After I won gold, the New Zealand team performed our special swim team’s haka for me at the pool. I looked up, and all the guys and members of the wider New Zealand team were standing there, shirts off, in haka position, just staring at me. It was phenomenal and had so much meaning for all of us. That moment was incredible, and the haka held deep significance for the swim team and me personally.”
The grind behind the glory
The hard work behind the scenes was massive. “Swimming is a huge commitment. Consistent commitment over time is a massive part of it. I was doing two-and-a-half-hour sessions in the pool for ten swim sessions a week, which doesn’t even include the gym, dry land exercises, and recovery work.” He dedicated over 40 hours a week to his training, balancing it with recovery treatments like physio and massage therapy.
Despite his natural ability, Moss emphasises that it was grit and determination that kept him going. “People see the Olympics and the World Championships on TV but don’t see the countless hours of hard work behind the scenes. There’s no way that just because someone was naturally gifted doesn’t mean they could go on.”
There were difficult moments, Moss admits. “Absolutely, there were times when I wanted to give up. But you learn to keep going. You commit your whole life to it, and it’s not easy, but the rewards are worth it.”
Transitioning to life after sport
Like many athletes, Moss faced the challenge of transitioning into life beyond sport after retiring from swimming. “The biggest challenge was figuring out my new identity. As athletes, we often tie ourselves to our sport. When that’s gone, you ask yourself, ‘Who am I now? What does my future look like?’ It’s not an easy transition,” he explains.
To navigate this change, Moss turned to education. In 2005, he chose to pursue further studies at Massey University. “Massey really embraced part-time and extramural study for athletes, which made it easier to balance education and training. Their support made my decision to study there an easy one,” Moss recalls.
“Massey helped me transition into life beyond swimming by providing knowledge I could apply to the real world. The networking opportunities were particularly helpful, and the third- and fourth-year papers, which often involved real-world scenarios like working with businesses and creating marketing plans, were invaluable.”
After years of balancing intense training with his studies, Moss completed his Bachelor of Business Studies, majoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship & Small Business.
Applying high-performance sport to the business world
Today, Moss has carried those same principles from sports into the business sector. He currently works at Vantaset, a company that that wants to redefine the way organisations think about performance. Moss explains, “What we’ve done at Vantaset is take the high-performance principles we learned in sport and created the only purpose-built performance transformation product on the market that allows businesses to apply it. It’s about enabling ambitious, future focused organisations a way to apply the principles of elite sport in their organisation to transform its impact and competitiveness or effectiveness.”
Moss explains that the founder of Vantaset, Craig Steel, his performance specialist, assisted many of New Zealand’s leading athletes, helping them amass more than 20 World Cup and World Championship titles.
“Following his success with athletes, Craig was asked if he could share his insights with business leaders – essentially to help them do for their people what he was doing for athletes. These engagements led to the development of a transformational programme to help organisations realise a breakthrough in workplace performance,” Moss adds.
The first organisation to test his process (Telecom Business Directions—now Spark) increased its sales by more than 400% within four months, against a target of 5%, confirming that his process could be applied in business.
“We believe in helping people unlock their full potential, whether in sports or business. It’s about understanding what governs human performance and applying a high-performance operating model that transforms organisations and the outcomes they deliver,” Moss says.
Moss with his three-month-old daughter Zoe at one of her first swim lessons.Looking ahead: future goals and advice
As Moss looks to the future, his focus is clear: continuing to make a difference through his work at Vantaset and spending time with his family. “At Vantaset, we believe what we’re doing makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives. It’s not just about improving operational efficiency; it’s about helping people feel valued, critical, and engaged in their roles.”
Moss also has valuable advice for current student-athletes and those pursuing careers in high-performance fields. “As an athlete or anyone striving to achieve something unique, networking is key. Don’t waste the opportunities to connect with people who can open doors for you later. Building relationships is just as important as working hard in your chosen field.”