Swimming New Zealand Announces New CEO

Swimming New Zealand has today announced that Steve Johns has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Johns is currently CEO of Tennis New Zealand, a role he took up in 2010 after six years as CEO of Surf Life Saving Northern Region. Previously he was General Manager Operations at Millennium Institute of Sport & Health and also Facility and Aquatic Manager at Glenfield Leisure Centre.

Swimming New Zealand Chairman, Bruce Cotterill said Johns’ appointment was ideal for the future of the organisation.
“During the last four years, the revamped Board and the Management team at Swimming New Zealand have worked tirelessly to turn our sport around to the stage that right now we are in a stronger position that we have been for more than a decade,” he said.

“In high performance we have more young swimmers ranked in the top 50 in the world than any time in the previous three Olympiads. Our membership continues to grow and we continue to talk to more and more members.

“We are very proud that our Kiwi Swim Safe programme has trained and supported more than 5000 school teachers who in turn have taught learn to swim and swim to survive lessons to more than 270,000 young Kiwi children in the last six years.

“Steve is a passionate life-long participant in our sport, and he has an excellent pedigree in the business of sports management. He comes into this role at an important time to lead our wonderful team as we look to consolidate and really push our sport forward at all levels.”

Johns also has a successful background as a sporting participant in water sports as a former New Zealand water polo representative and a titleholder in national surf lifesaving and age group swimming.

“Swimming has been a huge part of my life so the opportunity to give back to a sport that has given so much to me is a real privilege and one that I am really excited about,” said Johns.

“Swimming is such an integral sport in New Zealand so the opportunity to help drive Swimming New Zealand to achieve its strategic goals is a great challenge that I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in to in the New Year.

“As a former Taranaki swimming rep and record holder and NZ water polo representative, the opportunity to combine my sports management and leadership skills into sports that have played such a big part of my life was an opportunity that I couldn’t resist.”

Tennis New Zealand Chair, Celia Patrick says that Johns has made a significant contribution to Tennis New Zealand during his time as CEO, and is pleased that his skills and experience are staying in the wider New Zealand sports family.

Johns will take up his role in February replacing interim CEO Scott Newman.