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Longtime official brings strong background to new role

Swimming Canada is pleased to announce a longtime member of the swimming community will be joining the organization at the new Senior Manager, Domestic Operations.

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Suzanne Paulins comes to Swimming Canada after 20 years with the Bank of Montreal, where she has held positions including Financial Services Manager, Bank Manager, and most recently Human Resources Strategic Initiatives Manager.

Paulins has been involved with the sport for more than 40 years, is a master official, FINA List referee and acted as a Technical Official at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games.

She began as a swimmer for the Trenton (Ont.) Dolphins and then began working as a summer student at Swim Ontario. She joined the Brantford Aquatic Club as a Meet Manager in 2001 and she went on to become club president from 2007 to 2015. During this time, Paulins was also a board member at Swim Ontario and leading the development of the 2020 Swim Ontario Strategic Plan. In 2015, she was appointed Vice-President of Swim Ontario.

In her new role Paulins will be responsible for all areas of the National Coaching Certification Program, the Officials, Competitions and Rules Committee and the Long Term Athlete Development program. She will also be providing technical support at all Swimming Canada designated competitions. The role also includes a key responsibility to integrate Para-swimming in all aspects of Domestic Operations.

“I am very excited about this opportunity and looking forward to the challenge as I join the Swimming Canada leadership team moving various domestic operations forward,” Paulins said. “I am especially looking forward to working with all the great coaches, officials, provincial staff and volunteers to meet the goals and objectives of Swimming Canada.”

Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi shares the same excitement.

“Suzanne brings experience and knowledge that will be invaluable to our organization’” he said. “In her many years of involvement in swimming, she has become a respected and appreciated member of the swimming community and we are excited for her to join our team.”