Australian Sailing elects first ever female President at Annual General Meeting

At its Annual General Meeting held this week, Shevaun Bruland was elected as President of Australian Sailing – the first woman to hold the position.

Bruland has been a member of the Australian Sailing board for five years, serving the last two as Vice President to outgoing President Alistair Murray AM.  Prior to her time on the Australian Sailing board she spent five years on the board of Yachting South Australia, serving the last three years as President.  Bruland is also a member of World Sailing’s Equipment Committee since 2020 and a member of World Sailing’s Safety Commission since 2023.  She has raced keelboats and sports boats for many years, enjoying one-design racing, offshore racing and also racing in the kitefoil class since learning to kite several years ago. 

“I’m honoured to have been elected President of Australian Sailing and incredibly proud to be the first woman to hold the position.  This reflects progress that is being made across the entire organisation and aligns with our strategic aspiration to grow the number and engagement of women and girls participating in our sport ”, Bruland said

"I extend my sincerest thanks to outgoing President Alistair Murray AM for his tenure and his enthusiasm and dedication to the position. Under his Presidency, Australian Sailing experienced significant growth in club membership and we will look to continue that momentum. I would also like to extend my thanks to outgoing Board Director, Jo Keen.” 

"I welcome our new Board members and look forward to working with the Board to ensure that Australian Sailing continues to deliver on our strategic objectives as well as looking to the future to ensure that sailing will be enjoyed by many generations to come." 

Heather McCallum has been elected to the role of Vice President. McCallum was re-elected the Board at the Annual General Meeting and her election to the role of Vice President will see two women spearhead the organisation.

As an experienced company Director, former Rear Commodore of Tasmania’s Derwent Sailing Squadron and Chartered Accountant and active sailor, McCallum brings a wealth of knowledge to the Australian Sailing Board.

At the Annual General Meeting, dual Olympics gold medalist Malcolm Page OAM was elected and will contribute a wealth of high-performance sailing experience to the Board. Sian Harding was also elected to the Board. Harding will be one of the youngest ever board members and has already contributed significantly to the Australian sailing landscape, implementing programs and opportunities for women and girls and also the development of instructors and coaches. 

Australian Sailing extends its sincerest thanks to Alistair Murray AM and Jo Keen and congratulates the new directors joining the Board and acknowledges the historic announcement of the election of Shevaun Bruland as the first woman to hold the position of President of Australian Sailing.