OTTAWA — Suzanne Paulins has been named chief executive officer of Swimming Canada after serving as interim CEO since last year.
Paulins, from Brantford, Ont., took over as acting CEO in May when Ahmed El-Awadi took personal leave. He left the organization in November.
Canada's swim team won eight medals at the Olympic Games and 13 medals at the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Toronto's Summer McIntosh led the Olympic charge with three gold medals and one silver. Nicholas Bennett, of Parksville, B.C., won two Paralympic gold and a silver.
"Under Suzanne’s leadership, there is no doubt that Swimming Canada’s future is very bright,” Swimming Canada president Susan Owen said Wednesday in a statement.
Paulins oversaw the relocation of the Olympic and Paralympic swim trials from Montreal to Toronto because of a fire near Montreal's Olympic Pool.
“The athletes were looking for that change and we listened,” Paulins said. “That need to connect with people and ensure we listen to all the important voices in our community has been a focus for sure.
"We’ve been doing this work together as a team for the last two years, now we’re going to build on that and continue to move forward.”
Paulins joined Canada's governing body of swimming in 2017 as domestic operations senior manager before moving into the job of operations and sport development director in 2021.
She's been involved in the sport for 45 years in various roles including official, referee and vice-president of Swim Ontario.
“She’s been a great leader in our sport for several years, she communicates with athletes and always has athletes’ needs at the heart of every conversation," said three-time Olympian Javier Acevedo.
"It makes it easier to perform and excel as athletes and I’m sure coaches and officials will agree it’s great to have a leader who’s invested in our sport at all levels.”
Paulins oversees Swimming Canada's strategic plan for 2021-28.
Canada's swim team achieved objectives as a top-six medal country at the Olympic Games (4th) and a top-nine country in Paralympic swimming (8th) in 2024.
Top six in the Olympics and top eight in Paralympics is the goal for Los Angeles in 2028.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2025.
The Canadian Press
