John Bertrand AM - Chairman

John Bertrand would have you believe that his main claim to fame is that he is a proud Australian. To his fellow Australians he is much more.

He is the Australian who skippered the winged keel 'Australia 2' to victory over Dennis Connor's 'Liberty' to win the 1983 America's Cup, breaking 132 years of American domination and, in the process, breaking the longest-running record in the history of modern sport. After being 3:1 down in the best of seven races, and considered by some as the 'Race of the Century', on September 27, 1983, off Newport, Rhode Island, this final assault on the 'Everest of sport' stopped the nation like never before. It is arguably the greatest upset in modern Australian sporting history. In the bi-centennial year of 1988, the 'Australia 2' team victory was voted by the Confederation of Australian Sport as the greatest team performance in 200 years of Australian sport. A world champion and Olympic medallist, Bertrand represented Australia in five America's Cups, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1983 and 1995, and two Olympic Games, Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976, winning bronze in Montreal in the Finn Class. In over 25 years of America's Cup campaigning, he was involved in all areas of activity, from skipper of 'Australia 2' to Chairman of 'OneAustralia'. Bertrand's love of sailing continues. He is chairman of the Australian Olympic sailing team selection panel for the London Olympics. He also actively competes at the highest level within the International Etchell class. Bertrand is both a businessman and philanthropist. He is Chairman of The Sport Australia Hall of Fame and Chairman of the Alannah and Madeline children's Foundation. He is a life member of the International America's Cup Hall of Fame. His biography published in 1985, was at the time the largest-selling biography in Australian publishing history. Bertrand was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1985 for his services to sailing.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in April 2004
Appointed Chairman of the SAHOF Board in May 2005

Rob de Castella MBE - Director

Rob is a former marathon world champion and record holder. He represented Australia at four Olympic Games (1980, 1984, 1988, 1992) and won gold at two Commonwealth Games (1982, 1986). He is a former Board Member of the Australian Sports Commission and former Director of the Australian Institute of Sport. As an outspoken advocate for community fitness and health, he is Chairman of the Leisure Australia Foundation, Managing Director of SmartStart (Australia) Pty Ltd, and Director of Deeks Bakery and Cafe.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in May 1997

Layne Beachley - Director

Graham Fredericks - Director (Confederation of Australian Sport)

Graham is the Chief Executive Officer of Cycling Australia and the Confederation of Australian Sport representative on the SAHOF Board.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in May 2010

Lindsay Gaze OAM - Director

Lindsay represented Australia as a basketball player in three Olympics and as a coach in four Olympics. He is a Board Member of VicHealth and Member of the Advisory Committee of the Council of Our Community. He was a Member of the Board of Directors of Oz 97 World Championships and is a Member of the International Basketball Federation Technical Commission. He is a consultant to Basketball Stadiums Victoria and the former coach of the Melbourne Tigers National Basketball League club. Currently Lindsay consults for one of the Chinese basketball teams and is Chief Administrator of the Melbourne Basketball Association.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in May 1997

Geoffrey Henke AO - Director

Geoff represented Australia in ice hockey, and has been Chef de Mission of six Australian Winter Olympic Games teams. He was a Board Member of the Australian Ski Federation from 1978 to 1983 and President from 1983 to 1989. He was a Director of the Confederation of Australian Sport from 1979 to 1984 and is a past Vice-President of the Australian Olympic Committee. He is an Honorary Life Member of the Australian Olympic Committee, Member of the Olympic Order, Chairman of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia and a Council Member of the Federation Internationale de Ski.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in March 1997

Simon Hollingsworth - Director

Simon Hollingsworth is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Sports Commission. Prior to this, he spent nine years with the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC). At DPC, Simon worked across a variety of policy areas including: infrastructure, planning, education, economics, and inter-governmental relations. In 2005, Simon was seconded for a year to work for the United Kingdom Government's Department for Education and Skills within its strategy unit based in London. Prior to joining government, Simon worked in Melbourne as a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group and as a solicitor at Minter Ellison Lawyers. He holds degrees in Commerce and Law (Honours) from the University of Tasmania and a Master of Arts (Politics and Philosophy) from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Simon represented Australia on numerous occasions in the 400-metre hurdles and 4x400-metre relay. This includes the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, the 1990 and 1994 Commonwealth Games and the 1995 World Championships. He has also been the Chairperson of the Athletics Australia Athletes' Commission.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in December 2011

Michael McKay OAM - Director

Michael McKay is considered one of Australia's most successful oarsmen over the long history of the sport, as can be demonstrated by his results. He competed in five successive Olympics from 1988 to 2004, was a finalist in all and won medals at four of them. He won gold with the "Oarsome Foursome" at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics, silver with the eight in Sydney and bronze with the eight in Athens. He was a finalist, finishing fifth, with the eight in Seoul. Mike was awarded an OAM for service to sport in 1987 and was recognized as the Australian Rower of the Year in 1999. He served as a Board Member of the Australian Olympic Committee from 1997-2000, and was awarded the Australian Sports medal in 2000. In July 2007, Mike was awarded the prestigious Thomas Keller medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to rowing as a competitor and sports personality, and to this day he is esteemed as a sportsman of great note to our aspiring champions.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in February 2009.

Kieren Perkins

With 11 world records, 2 Olympic Gold, 2 Olympic Silver and more than a dozen Commonwealth and World Championship swimming medals, Kieren's sporting achievements are legendary. Kieren was also an integral member of the Australian delegation sent to Monaco in 1993 to bid for the 2000 Olympics. Since his retirement from swimming in 2000, Kieren has acted as a former Partner of Performance Global Pty Ltd and former Partner of RogenSi, a global consulting and training company. Upon returning home to Brisbane, Kieren has taken on the role Head of Private Clients and Business Development for NAB Private Wealth in Queensland. He is currently a board member of the Starlight Children’s’ Foundation, Painaustralia Ltd and the International River Foundation. Kieren was made an honorary Doctor of Philosophy by Queensland University in 2001.

Elizabeth Proust AO - Director

Elizabeth has over 20 years' experience as a senior executive in the private and public sectors. Elizabeth is Chairman of Nestle Australia,Chairman of the Bank of Melbourne, a Director of Insurance Manufacturers Pty Ltd, of Perpetual, and of Sinclair Knight Merz. She is a trustee of the Prince's Charities Australia, a member of the JP Morgan Advisory Council and a member of the Truth Justice and Healing Council of the Catholic Church. Prior to taking on roles as a non-executive director, she spent eight years with the ANZ Group, including four years as Managing Director of Esanda. Before joining ANZ, Elizabeth was Secretary (CEO) of the Victorian Department of thePremier and Cabinet and Chief Executive of the City of Melbourne. She had previously been Secretary (CEO) of the Victorian Attorney General's Department. Elizabeth's first role after graduation was in public affairs with BP Australia. Elizabeth is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from La Trobe University and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Melbourne.

Appointed to the SAHOF Board in February 2011

James Tomkins OAM - Director (Australian Olympic Committee)

One of Australia's greatest rowers, James Tomkins is the only rower in history to win world championship titles in every sweep oar event. James together with Mike McKay, Nick Green and Andrew Cooper, took the rowing world by storm in the early 1990's earning the "Oarsome" name and reputation with convincing victories in the 1990 and 1991 World Championships, and the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Despite taking a break from competitive rowing for nearly three years the new Foursome successfully defended their Olympic title in Atlanta 1996. In 2002 Tomkins and Drew Ginn combined to win the coxless pairs at the World Titles , and in 2004 the "Dynamic Duo" showed they were the best in the world with their Gold Medal at The Athens Olympics. James competed in his fifth Olympic Games in Beijing, having the honour of being the Australian flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony. James was awarded an OAM in 1987 and in 2008 was Victorian Father of the Year. James is the Chairman of the Athletes Commission and is on the Executive of the AOC.
James was appointed the AOC representative on the SAHOF Board in February 2009.
 

Vicki Wilson OAM - Director

Vicki represented Australia in netball for 15 years between 1985 and 1999, the last four as captain. As the world's best goal shooter, she captained the first-ever gold medal winning team at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games. At the time of her retirement, she was the most capped Australian netballer having played 104 Test matches and is the only Australian player to have played in four World Championships. Committed to the future development of the sport she loves, Vicki was the founder and coordinator of the Secondary Schools Netball championships. She is also a member of the board of the Queensland Academy of Sport, the Major Sports Facilities Authority, and the Queensland School Sport Foundation. In addition, Vicki is Manager of Community Programs with Sport and Recreation Queensland.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in February 2007

Graeme Willersdorf - (Ambassador)

Graeme has been on the business end of Australian sport for the past 20 years in his capacity as a Senior Executive with the Fosters Group. Supervising Fosters involvement at Olympic and Commonwealth Games, Graeme has been an equally familiar figure at Australian cricket played here and abroad, Americas Cups, and at all of the nation's major horse races not to mention the past ten years of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Appointed to the SAHOF Board in 2005