Sporting greats dominate the new Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) Advisory Board.
State Sports Minister Tim Mander said the new eight-member board would be chaired by a RZ Resources Limited Director and former Australian diver David Lyons.
Minister Mander said the other board members were Cate Campbell, Ella Sabljak, Mark James, Ben Ikin, Alex Baumann, Susan Rix and Annette Maidment (profiles below).
He said the Advisory Board, which meets for the first time later this month, would work closely with QAS management to transition the Academy to a statutory body.
“The members of the Board bring together business, legal, communications, as well as Olympic and Paralympic, experience.”
Minister Mander said it would ensure the Academy’s new structure, which comes into effect on July 1, delivered the agility and efficiency necessary to support Queensland’s elite athletes to succeed.
“Transitioning the QAS to a statutory body gives the organisation greater independence and the ability to streamline its administration and operation to allow our athletes to thrive.
“The Advisory Board will work closely with QAS management and staff to meet the goal of more medals in more sports at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in LA2028, Brisbane 2032 and beyond.”
Queensland Academy of Sport Advisory Board members:
David Lyons (Chair)
Mr Lyons has over 25 years’ experience in law specialising in corporate matters. He is currently a Director of RZ Resources Limited and was the Deputy Chair for Diving Australia for over 21 years. He is also the Chair of Naturalena Advisory Board; and a Director of Brisbane Festival. Mr Lyons is also a former elite athlete, having represented Australia in Diving.
Cate Campbell
Ms Campbell is an Australian Olympic champion swimmer. She has eight Olympic medals, four of which are gold, across four Olympics. Ms Campbell chaired the Australian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission from 2021-2024. She is currently a brand ambassador for several Australian companies and has studied a Bachelor of Mass Communication/Media Studies.
Ella Sabljak
Australian Paralympian and world champion with more than 15 years in elite sport at an international level, Ms Sabljak is a Primary School teacher by trade, with a passion for Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing. She is also a founding member of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Athlete Steering Committee, as well as recently being appointed to Paralympics Australia’s Athlete Commission and WADA’s Athlete Committee.
Mark James
Mr James is the CEO of CJI Group, a role he has held for 27 years. He is also a co-founder of Customology, a company he founded in 1997. He has extensive experience in marketing, communications, and business development.
Ben Ikin
Mr Ikin is a former professional rugby league footballer and has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Rugby League from May 2023. He previously worked in football operations roles for the Brisbane Broncos from June 2021 until May 2023, and had been the host of talk show NRL 360 on Fox League as well as a commentator for the Nine Network and Fox Sports.
Alex Baumann
Mr Baumann is a dual Olympic gold medallist and has a long history in Australian high-performance sport. He is the former Chief Executive of Swimming Australia and Queensland Swimming and was the Chief Executive of High-Performance Sport New Zealand. He is credited with helping New Zealand achieve an outstanding Olympic team performance in Rio de Janeiro 2016 of 18 medals. Mr Baumann also worked for the Queensland Academy of Sport from 1996-1998.
Susan Rix
Ms Rix has a wealth of experience on boards from the public and private sector to Non-Government Organisations. She is a Tax and Advisory expert, and Consultant with BDO in Brisbane. Ms Rix has extensive experience in taxation, general business and management services, provision of budgets, cash flow projections and providing advice to improve business efficiency and profits.
Annette Maidment
Ms Maidment is an experienced sports administrator and was President and Chair of the Townsville Hockey Club from 2017 to 2021. During her tenure, she stabilised the Association’s financial position and worked with government and partners to rebuild all the Townsville Hockey Association facilities after the devasting floods of 2019. She is currently Chief Financial Officer of the Maidment Group.
