Peta Slocombe (left) and Kaylene Gulich (right) are the newest members of the Western Australian Institute of Sport’s board. Photos: LinkedIn/Western Australian Treasury Corporation.
Peta Slocombe and Kaylene Gulich have been appointed to the Western Australian Institute of Sport’s (WAIS) board following the mass exodus of all but one of its board members.
The appointments to the peak sporting body come after the previous board’s exodus and an ongoing review into WAIS’ culture and governance, in the wake of a Sporting Integrity Australia review.
WA Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman welcomed and congratulated Ms Gulich and Ms Slocombe on their appointments.
“I have chosen board members with strong leadership and governance credentials to lead WAIS through a period of renewal and change and who can promote the safe, professional culture we expect from our premier sporting institution,” he said.
Ms Slocombe is founding CEO of Performance Story and has 25 years’ experience as a psychologist with extensive knowledge in mental health, human behaviour and culture, while Ms Gulich brings extensive experience in financial management and is currently CEO of the Western Australian Treasury Corporation.
She has also previously held senior executive roles within the WA Department of Treasury and the Perth Mint.
Recent board changes also brought in experienced administrator Dr Neale Fong as WAIS chairperson and former director general of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet Darren Foster, Hockey WA CEO Fabian Ross and former WA Police Force deputy commissioner Gary Dreibergs. Jennifer McGrath is the only board member to remain from the previous 10-person board.
She is an Ex-Officio member through her role as deputy director general of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, representing the director-general.
An ongoing KPMG review into WAIS’ governance and culture is investigating the WAIS culture as it is relevant to the safety and wellbeing of the athletes under its care and the staff it employs, including the adequacy of relevant policies and their resourcing and implementation. It will also identify areas for improvement and propose recommendations to address those areas.
Importantly, it will also enable any current staff and athletes and those who were at WAIS within the past five years the opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives.
The new appointments and review follow a damning 2022 Sporting Integrity Australia (SIA) review into the culture of WAIS’ Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Program between 1987 and 2016.
SIA found it was reasonably likely that some gymnasts suffered abuse or harm, including verbal and physical abuse, unnecessary skin fold testing, weight-shaming, the expectation to train and compete with injuries and extreme training loads, while participating in the WAIS program. It also found the program’s policies and procedures did not adequately protect some of the gymnasts.
The new board’s immediate focus is to proceed with the restorative justice process relating to the former athletes who likely suffered harm and abuse, as recommended by the SIA review.
