Board Meeting #194

The Snow Australia Board held its 194th meeting at the Snow Australia offices on Monday October 28. Below is a summary of the key outcomes and decisions made at the meeting:

Notable Board Decisions Made

• Susie Warwick board retirement – After 17 years on the Snow Australia Board as an appointed member, Susie has decided to retire. Susie has been a valuable member of the Board providing valued marketing, business and industry guidance during her tenure. The Board acknowledged Susie’s work and valuable contribution to Snow Australia and the snowsports community.
• Scott Kneller board appointment – The Board approved the appointment of Scott Kneller to replace Susie Warwick following her retirement. Scott, a World Cup gold medalist in Ski Cross and two time Olympian (Vancouver and Sochi) will provide the board with valuable athlete insights along with strong ongoing connection to the snowsport industry and community.
• Approval of 2024/25 Operating Budget – The Board approved the 2024/2025 Operating Budget with the recommendation of Finance, Risk and Governance Committee Chair Jacky Storer.
  Review and approval of updated Codes and Policies – A number of policies and codes of conduct documents were reviewed including the Director Code of Conduct (which is to be re-affirmed by all Directors), the Conduct and Culture policies, and the Review and Appeals policy.
• Formation of the Para Snowsport Discipline Committee – The Board approved the formation of a National Para Snowsport Committee to operate under the same Terms of Delegation as the existing National Discipline Committees. Work will begin on the makeup and membership of the Committee shortly.

Notable Board Discussions and Reports Presented

• Para Alpine Report – A thorough report of the Para Alpine program reviewing the previous World Cup season, southern winter activities and looking forward to the 2024/25 northern season. Of note was the recent successful training block in Chile which provided athletes with speed training opportunities.
• Para Snowboard Report – The Para Snowboard report also reviewed the previous season, southern winter activities and the plans for the 2024/25 season.
• National Integrity Manager Update – This was the final report of current National Integrity Manager, Jen Krawczyk, with her recent resignation. The Board thanked Jen for her great work implementing the National Integrity Framework and roll out of the Integrity Education Plan. This report provided an update on the NIF implementation, education plan, the upcoming Sporting Continuous Improvement Program (SISCIP) and education sessions that have been delivered. A complaints flow chart has also been drafted.
• Victorian and Northern Interschools post event reports – The post interschool event reports were presented to the Board highlighting the successes and challenges of all the events held during 2024 season across Australian resorts. These reports have been distributed to the interschools communities.
• Pathway / ETP Report – Snow Australia recently presented to the AIS on its performance pathway and in particular the Emerging Talent Program (ETP). Highlighted in the presentation were the improved physical capacity of athletes graduating from the program into a institute program, the decrease in injury and a better over all understanding of the sport pathway and what it takes to succeed.
• Finance, Risk and Governance Report including financials to 30 September and 2024/25 Operating Budget
• 2026 Milan OWG/PWG Nomination and Selection Criteria Update – With the qualification period beginning in July, the board were provided with an update on the nomination process for the 2026 OWG and PWG Games. The draft Nomination and Selection criteria for each sport will be sent to the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia. They will then be returned to Snow Australia for Board review and approval to then be finalised by the AOC and PA Executive and then published. A series of discipline specific information sessions will be held in the new year to outline the qualification, nomination and selection process.
• Club and Recognised Pathway Provider Forum Report – Snow Australia recently held a forum which was attended by our Recognised Pathway Programs. The interaction between the clubs and our staff enabled many good ideas to be shared.  The event was a successful initiative with a great turn out, entailing very open, honest discussions about the successes and challenges the faced both on and off the snow.