What’s on in 2023 – Women in Sport Breakfast

Women in Sport Breakfast brought to you by: Rowing Australia – Thursday, 30 March

Join us for an inspiring Women in Sport Breakfast on Thursday, 30 March from 8:00 – 9:30am at the Australian Rowing Championships (Champion Lakes Regatta Centre, Perth) where we celebrate the incredible achievements of women in sport. This event is an opportunity to hear from some of the most inspiring, driven and passionate women in the rowing industry, share experiences, and learn from each other. Our panel of speakers, will share their journeys to success and the challenges they have faced along the way. You’ll also have the chance to network with other women in the rowing/sport industry, enjoy a delicious breakfast, and leave feeling motivated and empowered. Don’t miss this chance to be part of a community that supports and uplifts women in sport!

 Guest speakers will include:

• Sarah Cook, Chief Operating Officer, Rowing Australia
  Dual International in Rowing and Sailing from 2004 to 2015, including competing at the 2008 & 2012 Olympics in Rowing.
  Lead Commentator for World Rowing global broadcast (Fox Sports Australia), Henley Royal Regatta (broadcast on YouTube & BT Sport UK).
  Currently working at Rowing Australia, and a Member of the Australian Government’s newly formed National Sports Tribunal. Other roles held include; Baseball Australia Board Member, Chair of the Rowing Australia Coastal Rowing Working Group, Trustee of the Laurie Stepto Trust, Member of the Sydney University Blue & Gold Committee.
• Melissa Ashton-Garard, Chief Executive Officer, Rowing New South Wales
  

  Melissa has over twenty five years experience in the sports industry. A motivated and committed leader, with strong commercial experience, she utilises her skills to consistently deliver high-performance results. Highly ethical, she thrives on developing and improving team culture while empowering people to drive performance improvements. A varied skill set, including elite-level sport and legal background, has enabled the development of excellent interpersonal, communications, and analytical skills across public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. She is passionate about working with teams to deliver an organisation’s strategic vision with people at the centre.

  Melissa completed a Master of Laws and Juris Doctor at the University of Technology, Sydney after a Bachelor of Commerce. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with board experience in the not-for-profit sector, currently as an non-executive director of Westhaven Ltd, a disability service provider, and previously on the Triathlon Australia Board.

• Annabelle McIntyre, OAM

• Annabelle McIntyre won a silver medal at the 2017 World Rowing U23 Championships held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The young West Australian, currently studying Mechanical Engineering, has made the move into the Hancock Prospecting Women’s NTC in the 2017/18 season and was selected to be part of Australia’s Women’s Eight for the World Rowing Cups in 2018. She went on to win a bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in the Women’s Eight in 2018. In 2019, McIntyre doubled up with Jessica Morrison to race in the Women’s Pair and Women’s Eight at the World Rowing Cups and World Rowing Championships, winning medals at all events. At the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, McIntyre teamed up with Lucy Stephan, Rosemary Popa, and Jessica Morrison – in the Women’s Coxless Four – to win Olympic Gold. In the 2022 season, Annabelle was selected into the Women’s Coxless Four for World Cup 2, Poznan with fellow Olympic Champion, Lucy Stephan, as well as fellow Olympians Bronwyn Cox and Kat Werry. The crew took the Gold ahead of the Dutch. At the 2022 World Rowing Championships heldAt the 2022 World Rowing Championships held in Racice, Czech Republic, the same crew qualified for the A Final and won a Bronze Medal. 

• Rachael Taylor, Olympic Silver Medallist

  Rachael Taylor is a former Australian national rowing team representative, a winner of 18 national rowing championship titles, a winner of Olympic and World Championship medals, and a former Director on the Board of Rowing WA. She started rowing as part of a Victorian Talent Identification Program, rowing at first for Ballarat City Rowing club before representing Melbourne University Boat Club and Powerhouse Rowing Club.

  Taylor’s career highlight was winning an Olympic silver medal, in front of a home crowd, at the 2000 Olympics in the coxless pair with Kate Slatter. After retiring from flatwater rowing, Rachael went on to have a successful career in surfboat rowing, winning national medals and representing Australia, winning an open World Surfboat Championship.

  Rachael pursued a career in Human Resource Management, obtaining a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the University of Western Australia. She has worked in HR leadership roles with various organizations, including Virgin Australia, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and KPMG.

  Rachael has two sons and lives in Western Australia, splitting her time between Perth and Margaret River. She is currently taking on an entirely new role: that of being a ‘proud rowing mum’ since her eldest son, Torsten (14) commenced rowing at school this year!v

  Racice, Czech Republic, the same crew qualified for the A Final and won a Bronze Medal. 

• Dixie Marshall, Commissioner of the Australian Sports Commission

  Dixie is the Chief Growth Officer of WA’s oldest advertising agency, Marketforce. She has 40 years’ experience in media, advertising, politics and communications across a range of platforms, including television, radio, newspapers, and digital. She has won awards for journalism, and more recently advertising. She is a former journalist and Channel 9 newsreader. Dixie was the first woman AFL boundary rider on Australian TV. She has covered international bombings, fraudsters, bikies, Olympic and Commonwealth Games. Dixie worked from the Premier’s Office for 7 years as the Director of Strategic Communications for the WA Government. 

  Dixie is also a Commissioner of the Australian Sports Commission; Deputy Chair of the WA Football Commission; a Non-Executive Director of green energy company, Frontier Energy, and Non-Executive Director of Lotus Resources. She chairs the ESG Committee of Lotus. She sits on the board of the Marketforce Group.

This event is free for all to attend. Spots are limited – register now!