A year after announcing his retirement from the British Bobsleigh team, Bruce Tasker joins global fintech, Intuit Inc (Nasdaq: INTU) through the Athlete Career Transition Programme.
After undertaking a 6-month long internship at the fintech giant, Intuit agree to hiring the former elite athlete and Team GB Olympian on a permanent contract within their Business Development Team.
From the young age of 11, Bruce’s athleticism and determination shone above his peers. Joining his local running club, Bruce broke club records in the 100m, 200m and 400m disciplines before winning the Welsh Championships in 2008.
He first competed for Great Britain at a competition in Loughborough, 2006, and after graduating with upper second class honours, changed events to focus on the 200m sprint.
It was during his studies at the University of Bath that Bruce was introduced to Bobsleigh by British racer John James Jackson. Naturally competitive and athletically gifted, Bruce swiftly adapted to the sport and in 2011 became part of the four-man team that finished first at the British Championships in Winterberg, fifth at the World Championships and winning silver at the European Championships in 2014.
On 22nd and 23rd February 2014, Bruce made his Winter Olympic debut at the Sochi games, taking home the bronze medal alongside GBR1 teammates Stuart Benson, Joel Fearon and of course, John James Jackson.
Talking about his career, Bruce said: “I have been very lucky to have world class coaches throughout my career and hold all of them as vital components in all of my successes.
“My very first coach was Steve Perks who had just won Olympic Gold with the 4 x 100m relay team and taught me the work ethic and resilience that I value so much today. In Bobsleigh I was fortunate enough to join the team just as one of the current members was retiring from competition and becoming a coach.
“Chris Woolley then went on to coach the team for the entirety of my career and will always be someone whose dedication and work ethic I admire.”
Transitioning from an elite sporting environment with daily routines, structured support and planned activities can at times seem incredibly daunting for athletes, especially those who are forced into retirement through injury.
Bruce explains: “I had no plan for life after sport, I retired earlier than I had planned to and hadn’t put anything in place. I didn’t choose to retire from Bobsleigh, it was forced upon me by injury.
“I found the biggest challenge was identifying what skills I had developed during my sporting career and having the confidence to apply them in the business world.
“ACT helped me to realise what attributes I had through sport and how these could be transferred into future roles. They helped me to develop confidence in these areas and to learn about how I like to work and what motivates me.”
Ben Paszkowec, Performance Psychologist at Athlete Career Transition added; “I’ve worked with Bruce over the past 6 months to aid his transition journey. Working alongside his managers and colleagues, we’ve been able to make the transition process as smooth as possible, and as a result, he’s flourished in this new environment.
“Through the Athlete Career Transition Programme, Bruce has been given the right guidance, opportunities to develop and have a support structure around him that he otherwise wouldn’t have. Sometimes, just knowing that you have a fellow athlete on the other end of the phone, somebody who’s been there, done it and can answer any questions you may have, makes all the difference.”
Steve Moore, Director and co-Founder at ACT commented; “We’re incredibly proud of Bruce’s progress since he began his new role, and the way he’s been able to thrive in this environment is testament to both the quality of the programme and the support provided by his colleagues at Intuit.”
Athlete Career Transition will continue to support Bruce throughout his transition journey.