Swimming: Susan Smith appointed interim president after Michelle Gallen quits Swimming Australia
As the future of Australian swimming and its membership of World Aquatics hangs in the balance, the sport has appointed an interim president following the sudden resignation of its former chief.
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Susan Smith has been handed the reins of one of the toughest jobs in Australian sport – elected temporary president of Swimming Australia (SA) following the sudden resignation of Michelle Gallen.
The former boss of Victorian Swimming, Smith was elected interim president at a SA board meeting on Wednesday.
Smith will start her new role on September 17, taking the baton from Gallen who stepped down after less than a year in the job when she was offered a high-profile government position running the National Sports Tribunal.
“On behalf of the Board, we are pleased to see Susan appointed to the role of interim President of Swimming Australia,” Gallen said.
“Having held leadership roles at both state and national level, Susan has a thorough understanding of the swimming landscape, and importantly can see the opportunities in front of us to help strengthen swimming from the grassroots through to the elite level.”
Smith takes over at a critical time for SA, less than 11 months before the Paris Olympics and just weeks before an historic vote on a new constitution.
Warned by World Aquatics that SA risks losing its membership to the global governing body if it doesn’t resolve its ongoing governance and constitutional problems, one of Gallen’s last acts was to call a special meeting for October 20 to vote on major reforms.
If passed, SA’s membership of World Aquatics will be safe but if the vote is rejected, SA could be forced to hand over control to a committee appointed by the world governing body.
Smith, who was elected to the SA board only a year ago, said her first order of business was to address the issues outlined by World Aquatics.
“My priority is building on the foundations that Michelle and the entire team have been working tirelessly on to update our constitution and governance structure, which is a requirement of being a member of World Aquatics (AQUA) and aligns us with the broader International Olympic Committee structure,” she said.
“These changes are necessary and will modernise the way the sport is governed. Importantly, they will provide a broader voting base as we work together to secure the future success of swimming in Australia.”
A decision on a permanent SA president will not happen until later.
SA is also looking for a permanent chief executive after Eugenie Buckley quit earlier this year and Steve Newman was appointed interim.
Although the Australian team has been performing incredibly, winning a record 13 gold medals at the recent world championships in Japan, there has been constant turbulence outside the pool.
In warning SA about its concerns, World Aquatics cited the high turnover of executives as a cause of concern.
In the past three years alone, SA has churned through four presidents and three CEOs.
SWIMMING AUSTRALIA LOSES ANOTHER PRESIDENT
Already in hot water with global authorities because of its ever-changing leadership, Swimming Australia is once again on the lookout for a new president – its fifth in the last three years – after the sudden resignation of Michelle Gallen.
Elevated to the president’s role less than a year ago after Tracy Stockwell was ousted in a boardroom coup, Gallen is leaving her post at Swimming Australia after accepting a high-powered government role in Canberra.
An acclaimed expert in sports law, Gallen has been promoted to the coveted position of chief executive officer at the National Sports Tribunal (NST), an independent body responsible for settling complicated sports disputes – covering everything from doping violations to disciplinary matters, governance issues, bullying and discrimination.
Gallen replaces Kitty Chiller, who was serving as the NST’s acting CEO despite having been sanctioned by the international gymnastics federation for her role in ‘judging irregularities” at a qualification event for the Tokyo Olympics.
Appointed by the Australian government for a five-year term, Gallen will start at the NST on September 18.
“Dr Gallen is an outstanding choice as the CEO of the Tribunal,” federal sports minister Anika Wells said.
“Her background in international sports law, as an elite swimmer and a President of Swimming Australia give her a unique perspective.”
Swimming Australia has yet to decide on a replacement for Gallen but has wished her well in the new role.
“The Board of Swimming Australia has commenced the process of finding Michelle’s successor and will announce the new President of Swimming Australia in due course,” it said.
While the timing is coincidental, Gallen’s departure does come at an awkward juncture for the board of Australia’s most successful and highest-funded Olympic sport.
Although the Australian team has been performing incredibly, winning a record 13 gold medals at the recent world championships in Japan, there has been constant turbulence outside the pool.
Swimming Australia has been threatened with being stripped of its membership of World Aquatics – the global governing body formerly known as FINA – because of concerns about governance and constitutional irregularities.
In two separate warning letters sent to Swimming Australia, World Aquatics cited the high turnover of executives as a prime cause of concern.
In the past three years alone, Swimming Australia has churned through four presidents (John Bertrand, Kieren Perkins, Stockwell and Gallen) as well as three CEO’s (Leigh Russell, Alex Baumann, Eugenie Buckley).
Steve Newman is currently serving as acting chief executive pending the search for a permanent replacement.
With the Paris Olympics less than 11 months away, Australian sport’s leaders are also paying close attention to what’s going on among swimming’s powerbrokers, hoping that significant changes will happen so the focus can return to the competitors.
In one of her final acts as president, Gallen called a special meeting for October 20 so that members can vote on whether to accept a new proposed constitution, which she has strongly urged them to rubber stamp.
“It‘s certainly been a busy 12 months and I’m really excited about the fact that we’re performing so well as a team and the changes that we’re going to be able to make into this constitution,” she said at the time.
“As Australia’s best performed Olympic sport it’s fitting that we align ourselves to some of the best governance principles moving forward as well.”
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Originally published as Swimming: Susan Smith appointed interim president after Michelle Gallen quits Swimming Australia
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