24 June 2023
By Göran R Buckhorn
Rowing Australia announced yesterday that Sarah Cook has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer. Cook is the Chief Operating Officer of Rowing Australia and the Continental Representative for Oceania on the World Rowing Council. She is also a Henley Royal Regatta Steward.
Sarah Cook has represented Australia in sailing before she took on the role as High Performance Operations Manager at Australian Sailing. She has been a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Baseball Australia and is an inaugural Member of the National Sports Tribunal. When it comes to the sport of rowing, she is a six-time national champion and has represented Australia at the World Rowing Championships between 2006 and 2011 and at the Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012.
“Sarah has the drive and passion required to lead the sport of rowing over the important decade in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Rowing Australia President Rob Scott said. “Sarah understands the importance of building alignment across all areas of our sport, from clubs, schools, states, our elite and development programs and new formats such as Indoor and Coastal.
“Sarah’s experience and reputation in World Rowing, together with the perspectives she will bring from other sports, will be invaluable for Rowing Australia.”
“I am honoured to be given the opportunity to lead Rowing Australia, a sport I have been involved with for more than two decades as an athlete, coach and administrator at club, school, state, national and international level,” Cook said.
“I thank the Board of Rowing Australia and wider rowing community for their ongoing support as I step into this role. It is an exciting time as we head down the Green and Gold Runway towards a home Olympics and Paralympics in Brisbane in 2032.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with our states, community, and partners to drive our sport forward to an exciting future.”
Sarah Cook will start her new role as CEO at the end of July 2023.