Volleyball Australia Elects 1996 Olympian Anita Palm as First Female President

Volleyball Australia has appointed 1996 Olympian Anita Palm as the first female president in the national governing body’s history following its Annual General Meeting.

Palm, who has served as VP since 2013, succeeds outgoing president, Craig Carracher AM, who steps down from the presidency after a long-standing tenure but will remain on the Volleyball Australia Board.

Palm brings over 20 years of executive sports management experience spanning Sydney 2000 through to Brisbane 2032. She currently serves as executive director of games coordination within the Queensland Government’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Office, overseeing inter-governmental alignment with the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee.

Her presidency anchors a strategic growth phase leading into LA28 and Brisbane 2032, leveraging recent momentum from the national rollout of the “Play Volley” participation framework and Australia’s hosting of the World Beach Volleyball Championships in Adelaide.

Emphasising her commitment to building upon the sport’s established structural foundations, Volleyball Australia president, Palm, said: “Volleyball has given me so much throughout my life, and now as the sport’s first female President, I feel a genuine responsibility to give back to the sport and the community that has shaped me.”

“I see the role of President as one of custodianship — recognising the enormous work already undertaken over many decades and ensuring we continue to build on those foundations.

“The national launch of ‘Play Volley’, hosting the World Beach Volleyball Championships in Adelaide last year and the selection of our men’s and women’s Beach Volleyball athletes for LA 2028 has given us real momentum.

“I’m looking forward to working with our state and territory associations and the entire volleyball community to build on that progress, grow participation, raise the profile of volleyball and our athletes, and seize the opportunities presented by the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Palm said. 

Acknowledging the global legacy and governance impact of outgoing president Craig Carracher AM, Palm, added: “Craig is a giant of our sport globally — in his ambition, talent, work ethic and passion for volleyball.”

“His leadership and influence across the international, Asian and Oceania volleyball federations, together with his role in the Australian Olympic Committee, have created extraordinary opportunities for our athletes and our sport.

“He has taken every opportunity and created more — bringing the first-ever Beach Volleyball World Championships to Australia, securing beach volleyball’s inclusion in the Commonwealth Games program, and hosting international men’s and women’s indoor Grand Prix events early in his tenure.

“His leadership has driven a bold agenda, strengthened our participation programs and events, and helped build a legacy that will benefit Australian volleyball for years to come,” Palm said. 

Board Restructuring and Life Membership Honors

The Annual General Meeting also formalised key additions to the national board and recognised long-standing governance contributions across the sport:

• Incoming Appointed Directors: Jane Ballantyne joins the board bringing over 20 years of commercial and executive sports experience across Queensland Rugby, Racing Victoria, the AFL, Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Football Australia, News Corporation, and Nike. Simone Waugh, Managing Director of Publicis Australia and GAICD-qualified director, joins as an Appointed Director to lead brand, technology, and media growth strategies.
• Elected Director & Life Membership: Veteran Volleyball Queensland coach and administrator Boris Georgieff was elected to the Volleyball Australia Board and awarded VA Life Membership in recognition of nearly three decades of service across national youth, junior, and senior high-performance pathways.
• Outgoing Board Acknowledgment: Former Director Mal Borgeaud concluded his tenure after serving on the Volleyball Australia Board since 2012, recognised for his 20-year corporate executive background as a public and private sector CEO and CFO.

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