Naomi McCarthy OAM is a senior international water polo athlete, having competed in two Olympic Games, four World Championships, four World Cups, and numerous other elite sporting events. While playing in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Naomi’s team was awarded the Gold Medal and she was also made the Vice Captain of the 2000 Olympic team.

As a result, she was awarded a QAS scholarship and was named in the top ten athletes of the decade for the organisation. Today, Naomi’s legacy lives on as she is a member of the QSport Hall of Fame, the Water Polo Australia Hall of Fame, and has become a recognized mentor within the Minerva Network.

Her extensive experience in high performance management and governance has seen her work for the Griffith Sports College, take a board seat with the Queensland Academy of Sport, and become a Director of the Queensland Rugby League. She has undertaken a Certificate IV in Career Development, a Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors course, and holds a Bachelor of Science (Env) from Griffith University.

Kim Crane , having represented Australia in the sport of women’s hockey as a Hockeyroo, Kim transitioned successfully to life after sport and has since built an exciting and successful 30 year career across both sport and business.

Kim is a highly respected, well regarded transformational leader within the Australian High-Performance Sport System with a broad range of leadership and management experiences within the national institute network (Queensland Academy of Sport, Australian Institute of Sport, NSW Institute of Sport) and national sport organisations (Hockey Australia, Surfing Australia and Paddle Australia) having held a variety of High-Performance Management and National Performance Director roles.

Kim is known as an inspirational, strategic, relational, values-based, people focused leader with high EQ, elite disposition and in-depth knowledge on sport global trends and system dynamics in particularly Olympic / Paralympic Sport and the urban / lifestyle ‘Action Sport’ industry.

She’s an innovative thought leader with a future focus on Gen32 sport requirements for partnerships and people. With an extensive federal / state government and professional sport network with C-suite, governance and succession planning skill set, Kim’s contemporary leadership style is purposeful in that she is driven to lead sustainable change and facilitate environments where human potential can be realised.

As Paddle Australia’s current National Performance Director, she currently leads the Sprint, Slalom and Para High-Performance Programs preparing for Paris 2024, and with now close to 400 days remaining until the Olympic and Paralympic Games all her focus in 2023 is on supporting athletes to qualify spots for the Games.

Shannon Parry is a highly accomplished rugby player and coach from Australia, known for her outstanding contributions to the sport. With a career spanning from 2009 to 2023, Parry has left an indelible mark on the world of rugby with her exceptional skills and leadership abilities. She represented Rugby Australia as a Wallaroo, earning the prestigious Wallaroo #109 title, and also played for the Queensland Reds, proudly donning the #104 jersey. Parry’s extensive sporting resume includes remarkable achievements such as winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games as the captain of the Australian rugby sevens team, as well as competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She also secured a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held on the Gold Coast. Parry’s commitment to rugby is evident in her participation in four Rugby World Cups in the XVs format and two Rugby World Cups in the sevens format, making her an integral part of Australian rugby history.

Paul Haines is a highly accomplished professional in the field of sport performance and high-performance consultancy. Currently serving as the Manager of Sport Engagement (Performance) at Griffith University since 2022 and the Director of PERFORM, his own high-performance consultancy established in 2012, Haines has made significant contributions to the world of sports. With a diverse range of clients, including motorsport categories like Formula 1, V8, MotoX, Off-Road Rally, and Karting, as well as the Australian Defence Force, Haines provides invaluable expertise to enhance performance. His previous roles as Conditioning Manager at the Geelong Football Club and Rehabilitation Coach at the Adelaide Football Club, coupled with his educational background in Exercise and Sport Science, showcase his commitment to optimizing performance. Accredited as a High Performance Manager by ESSA and a Level 2 Strength and Conditioning Coach by ASCA, Haines continues to shape the landscape of high-performance consultancy, driving performance outcomes and elevating the world of sports.