Kim Crane is the Chief Executive Officer of Paddle Australia, guiding the organisation through a bold new era where elite performance, community connection, and system-wide innovation come together to define the future of paddling in Australia.
Kim brings over 30 years of experience in high-performance sport and leadership, underpinned by a deep personal connection to paddling. Growing up in Torquay, Victoria, she was immersed in water sports from a young age – yet Kim went on to represent Australia as a Hockeyroo – before rediscovering her passion for paddling through outrigger canoeing and long-distance ocean racing, including competing in the iconic Molokai Challenge.
Her professional journey spans senior executive roles at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS), Surfing Australia, and Hockey Australia. She has led Olympic and Paralympic campaign strategy, national high-performance systems, talent development pathways, and major structural and cultural reform. Her leadership of Paddle Australia’s High Performance Programs contributed to the nation’s most successful Games campaign in the sport’s history.
