OTTAWA – Suzanne Paulins will continue to lead Swimming Canada as the organization’s top executive.
President Susan Owen made the announcement to staff and key partners Wednesday that Paulins will take on the permanent role of Chief Executive Officer.
“We are delighted to confirm that Suzanne Paulins has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer. Suzanne’s dedication and expertise as a leader, Level 5 official and swim parent will ensure stewardship of Swimming Canada over the next quad,” Owen said. “I personally appreciate Suzanne’s professionalism and commitment to the team environment. Under Suzanne’s leadership, there is no doubt that Swimming Canada’s future is very bright.”
Paulins had served as acting CEO since May 2023, stepping in during Ahmed El-Awadi’s personal leave. El-Awadi left the organization in November 2024. Paulins joined the organization as Senior Manager, Domestic Operations, in 2017 and progressed into the role of Operations and Sport Development Director in 2021 before taking the acting CEO reins. She now has a clear mandate to lead the organization’s pursuit of swimming excellence laid out in the Strategic Plan 2021-2028, as well as to develop the next strategic plan.
“I appreciate the confidence the board has in me and the people I have had the opportunity to work with. For me it’s all about the people: the provincial organizations, the coaches, the athletes, staff, officials and volunteers all working together to achieve excellence at all levels of the organization,” Paulins said.
Paulins has been involved with the sport for more than 45 years, as a master official, FINA List referee and Technical Official at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. Prior to her time at Swimming Canada she spent 20 years with the Bank of Montreal, where she held positions including Financial Services Manager, Bank Manager, and Human Resources Strategic Initiatives Manager.
During her time as acting CEO she has implemented leadership capabilities and succession planning, and steered Swimming Canada through a successful Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The organization faced many challenges, including last year’s relocation of the Olympic & Paralympic Swimming Trials, presented by Bell. With just over a month to adjust to the closure of Montreal’s Olympic Pool due to fire damage, Paulins was proud that the decision to move to Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre put the athletes first.
“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.”
“I’m very happy to have Suzanne on board as our full permanent CEO for Swimming Canada,” said three-time Olympian Javier Acevedo, co-chair of the High Performance Athlete Advisory Council. “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. 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 lives in Brantford, Ont., with her husband Ray. The couple have three children – Beth, 31, Alex, 29, and Sebastian, 26 – who are all still involved in the sport.
She began as a swimmer herself 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, when her children started competitive swimming, 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 led the development of the 2020 Swim Ontario Strategic Plan. In 2015, she was appointed Vice-President of Swim Ontario.
Paulins highlighted the many crucial partnerships that will be key to Swimming Canada’s continued success.
“We are thankful for the support of all our partners, from Sport Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and Own the Podium, to the athlete advisory council, the Canadian Swimming Coaches Association, the provincial sections and our corporate sponsors,” Paulins said. “To me it keeps coming back to the people, in and out of the water.”