Board

Hayden brings a strong data analysis and evaluation background to the Board with skills in consumer engagement, consultation and co-design, quality improvement and the ability to critically ascertain the value or effectiveness of programs. 

He has been a member of a variety of different swimming clubs in both metropolitan centres, regional cities and rural towns across three different states. This has provided him with a unique, multi-faceted perspective on the challenges faced by local sporting organisations. 

As a sport and a social activity, swimming has shaped the choices he has made both personally and professionally for over 22 years. He is passionate about representing the members on the Swimming Victoria Board and bringing value to our members, ensuring that our sport is best placed to moved forward into the challenging Australian sporting landscape.

Hayden is an elected Director of Swimming Victoria.

Shelley brings extensive experience through a wide range of leadership, strategy, and transformation roles. She is a former Senior Public Health Advisor with the Victorian Government (2008 to 2017) and is currently the founding CEO of Health Futures Australia, a not for profit health promotion charity.

She has a solid comprehension of data and market analytics, business operations and systems, policy development, financial planning and reporting and intelligence.

As a member of Swimming Victoria for 7 years, with the Ballarat Swimming Club, she has

participated as a parent-volunteer, committee member and Club President – the first female in the Club’s 50-year history. She was also an influential part of a committee process which stewarded the Ballarat Swimming Club to recognition of Swimming Australia’s Club of the Year in 2019.

Shelley is passionate about children and young people being physically active, nutrition, and in participation and engagement, fairness and equity, and service to members.

As a parent of two state and national swimmers, Shelley is a big believer in the value of swimming to children and young people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing, and that swimming should be an inclusive sport available to everyone

Shelley is an appointed Director of Swimming Victoria.

Matt competed for Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games as well as the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning Gold in London 2012 as part of the 4x100m Freestyle Relay. Now retired he is a huge supporter of the Multi-Class and School Sport Swimming systems and actively participates in driving further development in this area. 

He is a strong advocate for activating our teenage population of members to become leaders and mentors in our swimming community, not just as athletes, but to also take on leadership roles within their club, including that of their Committee or Board.

Professionally, he currently works at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, where he consults on recruitment, content and editorial matters to ensure the ABC delivers on its diverse and inclusive commitments. 

He also works with other sports including the sport of Netball where he has currently serves as an executive director and tribunal chair of the Frankston District Netball Association and its Victorian Netball League team, Peninsula Waves. 

Matt brings with him experience in Diversity and Inclusion and Paralympic Swimming and along with ideas that have been developed from his years as an athlete and involvement from other sports, he is keen to assist SV and the Board as they continue to build Swimming as a innovate and progressive sporting choice for all abilities and ages into the future. 

Matt is an elected Director of Swimming Victoria

Hailing from Gippsland in Regional Victoria, Michelle has been involved in swimming as part of her club, district and as a Technical Official.  

Michelle brings a wealth of experience to the role. She was a former Secretary of the Victorian Canoe Association and has held many other sports club committee positions.  She currently works for a Regional Sports Assembly where she provides governance support and training as well as specialist strategic planning advice to many organisations.

Michelle has also worked extensively in women’s leadership and improving gender equality at all levels of community sport. She has been involved in a range of programs supported by the Office for Women in Sport and Active Recreation through Change Our Game and Gippsland’s local This Girl Can Campaign “Gippy Girls Can”.

Bringing a regional view to the Swimming Victoria Board, along with a passion for growing participation in swimming, she believes the key to this is ensuring that the sport is safe and supportive of young people.

Michelle is an elected Director of Swimming Victoria.

Ella is currently working towards her Law Degree at Monash University and has been involved in swimming since 2009, as a competitor and club administrator, working to improve inclusion and diversity policies and practices. In 2017, Ella was privileged to receive the Swimming Victoria Young Leader of the Year award for her work in this space, particularly for the development of a women’s only program for culturally and linguistically diverse women from refugee backgrounds.

Ella has been instrumental at Melbourne University in the development of a masters squad and the implementation of a water safety program for international students. She not only continues her advocacy for inclusion and diversity within swimming for community members of all ages but also to keep swimmers engaged in the sport from their junior to adult years.

Ella is still a keen swimmer and continues to compete in open water competitions.

Ella is an elected Director of Swimming Victoria

Paul has over 30 years’ experience in Project and Program Management in the Banking and Government sectors, specialising in Portfolio Management and Governance. He has a strong history in delivering large scale change programs and strategy implementation across multiple business units.

In 2017, Paul was appointed as General Manager of Participation and Sport Development with Swimming Australia, and in December 2019, he became CEO of the Port Melbourne Football Club (VFL) where management, relationships, membership services and community engagement are his key priorities.

His involvement at National, State and Club levels, combined with his management experience, saw Paul become an active member of Swimming Victoria’s Operational Club Framework Committee in 2012. He went on to join the Finance Audit and Risk Management Committee (FARM) from 2013 to February 2014, before becoming a Director of Swimming Victoria.  

In October 2014, Paul was appointed President of Swimming Victoria, and remained in that role until 2017, stepping down to accept his role at Swimming Australia.  From 2017-2018 Paul was Chair of the SV Competition’s Committee and then moved to the Technical Committee from 2018-2019.

More recently, Paul has continued to consult and provide support to Swimming Victoria, as part of the COVID-19 Return to Swimming Committee and as a key player in the creation of the Fun Swim program

A firm believer in good governance, he is focused on successfully transitioning the organisation and people through change. He is passionate and enthusiastic to see Victoria continue to grow and develop as a strong swimming state.

Paul is an appointed Director of Swimming Victoria.

Simonne is a registered medical practitioner with 25+ years’ experience in the public, private and not-for-profit health and medical research sector. Her expertise includes research facilitation, project management, stakeholder relationships, and consumer engagement. She currently works at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance, in a cancer research implementation role.

Over the last two decades, Simonne’s three sons have progressed through local council Learn to Swim, club programs and school pathways to state, national, Junior Australian and Senior Australian Development representation. Simonne has enthusiastically volunteered in a myriad of ways along the journey, formally in club committee member roles, and informally as a parent of competitive swimmers.

Simonne is acutely aware of the immense health benefits, life skills, peer group and lifelong friends swimming has gifted her boys. Additionally, she has a deep personal affinity with the water, and swimming laps for physical and mental fitness is part of her daily life. She feels privileged to be elected to the Swimming Victoria Board and is committed to ensuring all Victorians have the opportunity to pursue and benefit from swimming.

Simonne is an elected Director of Swimming Victoria

Leigh Taylor Bio Coming Soon

Leigh is an elected Director of Swimming Victoria

Andrew has over 20 years of leadership experience in various roles in a large corporation and brings a strong background in strategy, corporate governance, risk management and interaction with multiple Victorian regulators.

His long-term, 16-year involvement in swimming, comes as parent of a swimmer who has progressed from learn to swim to competing for the national team and that time also includes being an active volunteer and committee member in multiple swimming clubs providing first-hand experience of the challenges in clubland.

Andrew is passionate about swimmers developing to their full potential and achieving success, but more importantly that as a sport, swimming has so much to offer in terms of participation, progression and enjoyment and he wants to see swimming continue to grow along with a continued strong club environment.

Swimming over the next decade, with World Championships in Melbourne, Commonwealth Games in Geelong and culminating in 2032 Olympics provides a platform to really inspire more people to swim and providing the right governance and direction to achieve this outcome is an important objective for Swimming Victoria and the Board.

Andrew is an elected Director of Swimming Victoria