He’s a sport-loving, proud father of two who is leading one of the oldest financial institutions in New Zealand.

From a working-class upbringing – his father personally built the family's Stokes Valley home in the Hutt – to a skyscraper in the heart of Auckland city, Jeff Ruscoe, managing director of AMP Wealth Management, is a man who embraces opportunities.

The Taita College old boy said that growing up in their then-small community, he and his three siblings were always reminded of the importance of hard work by their parents.

After leaving school, the cricket enthusiast pursued his dream of playing the sport overseas and spent a year in England.

When he came home, he changed tack, opting to further his education by studying accounting at Victoria University.

But in his third year there, he dropped accounting from his commerce degree. He felt it was too constrained by regulation. 

In business, Ruscoe said, there are many ways to do things, but he concluded accounting would never give him the opportunity to explore different solutions. So, when he graduated in 1995, his BCom was in marketing.

Ruscoe first worked in financial services for other companies before landing at AMP's Wellington office.

Move north

During his early career there, he said, it became obvious that the financial-services sector was drifting to Auckland. 

“You could see it, definitely, it was plain as day. There were lots of the banks moving out, lots of people, and lots of business drifting out of Wellington to Auckland, on the basis that Auckland was the biggest market and therefore, if you wanted to be in business, then you needed to be close to your market.”

The most challenging decision he made was relocating to create a new life in Tāmaki Makaurau. This meant leaving all his and his wife Deb’s family and friends.

"We just decided that we would give it a crack. I think part of my psyche is ‘everything is doable’. You've just got to commit and make it happen. The writing was on the wall; we just made that call to jump.”

It was the thought of career opportunities and what was best for his family’s future that spurned him on.

The “agonising” move was exactly 20 years ago – Queen’s Birthday weekend in 2003.

Tight unit

Ruscoe said he was the first staff member from AMP Wellington to make the move to the Newmarket office. He knew no one in Auckland except his boss.

For a while, it was just his young family: Deb and their infant daughter, Kaitlin, now 21. Son Ben, now 19, was born months later and has only ever known Auckland as home. 

Jeff, Kaitlin, Deb and Ben Ruscoe on holiday in Thailand. (Image: Supplied) 

Ruscoe feels they’re a tight unit because the family had only each other in those formative years in the supercity.

They first rented on the North Shore, then not long after bought a “tiny” house. They traded up in Forrest Hill when the kids were young. They’re still in the same property 15 years later.

Ruscoe said he’s really proud of his family: Kaitlin has just completed a fine arts degree, and Ben is studying business management at the University of Tennessee.

When asked if the kids will follow in his footsteps, he replies that he foresees Kaitlin in business leadership, and he’s certain Ben will find his way there – eventually.

Ben has told him he doesn't want to get involved in business, "but he’s studying business, so I'm a bit confused about that”.

Love at first sight

Ruscoe said he was conservative by nature, which makes his love story with Deb all the more enthralling.

They met at a party neither was meant to be attending. It was the 21st of his brother’s girlfriend (now wife). Deb, a friend of the birthday girl, was supposed to be in Dunedin at her own sister’s birthday party but instead stayed in Wellington.

Ruscoe got a last-minute invite to the 21st the night before. He went along with some mates, not expecting to meet the love of his life and the future mother of his children.

It was love at first sight, he said. His brother was a great wingman – he secured Deb’s number for Ruscoe. “It was absolute fate that we met.”

The family celebrating Kaitlin's 21st. (Image: Supplied)

Thirty years later, the couple are preparing for a European holiday in September – without the kids. They will be travelling in France and Italy for about five weeks, including biking from Pisa up to the Amalfi Coast.

The keen sportsman noted that he and Deb will be in Lyon when the All Blacks take on Italy in the Rugby World Cup. Although he doesn’t yet have a ticket, he’s determined to go.

KiwiSaver success

It’s that determination that saw Ruscoe lead AMP to secure a KiwiSaver default-provider contract before the scheme was implemented in 2007. The company had already been working on the bid for half a year when he joined as programme manager, and he took the 18-month project over the line.

He considers this his biggest success in business because it changed the shape of AMP in New Zealand. It also set him on the path to more senior leadership roles.

The ensuing parties to celebrate the big win were memorable. There was one for each office in Wellington and Auckland because the company wanted to acknowledge the team and their work. "There were a lot of people, a lot of time, and a lot of effort."

Ruscoe said he was able to get the right people together at the right time. 

“I wasn't a smart guy, I was that we’ve-got-to-get-it-done guy. I relied on those people who were super smart and just pushed them in the right direction, set them up in the right way to get the answers.”

Create change

He said he finds his role as managing director of AMP Wealth Management NZ so special because it enables him to shape the culture of the business. He doesn’t take the responsibility lightly.

“I’m 12 months in and I’ve got some work to do to really lock in on this job, what we’re doing here, and create the change we’re trying to make.”

A self-professed early bird, Ruscoe is up before dawn most days. Rising at 5am allows him to run or hit the gym before he goes to the office.

He feels mentally better when he exercises, rests and eats well, he said, and being healthy helps to build resilience to tackle challenges when they arise.

“Choosing your own attitude is important. I’ve always got the belief to find a way to get something done.”

Investing in experiences 

Despite having experienced plenty of mistakes, he can’t think of one that was a “monster failure”.

Ruscoe said he is a believer in taking lessons, owning them, and thinking about how to move forward, not dwell.

He doesn’t anticipate he will be bringing back many souvenirs from his trip to Europe – he isn’t a big spender. Instead, he prefers to invest in experiences. 

He said that when he came back from the US six months ago, his luggage was much the same as when he left NZ: he brought home only two new T-shirts and four new hats.

The one vice that he will buy: a good lager. A craft hazy pale ale tickles his fancy.

After all the work he’s done at AMP over the past two decades, the man deserves to savour his beer, biking and rugby, come September.