WA Institute of Sport Chief Executive steps down after 22 years

Steve Lawrence, Chief Executive at the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS), is to leave the position after 22 years.

Lawrence's decision to step down from the role follows wholesale recent changes to the organisation's board and Western Australian Sport and Recreation Minister David Templeman having announced that consultants KPMG have been appointed to undertake a holistic review of the governance and culture at the elite training facility.

Minister Templeman’s intervention followed concerns over a failure to initiate a restorative justice process for dozens of former gymnasts, whose allegations of abuse in the WAIS program were upheld by a Sport Integrity Australia report.

Changes have also seen the appointment of Dr Neale Fong as the WAIS’ new Chair.

In a statement released yesterday afternoon, Dr Fong said Lawrence, who worked at WAIS for 40 years, had given "significant service to sport in Western Australia".

Lawrence said his decision to step down was taken after discussions with the new board, but was confident he had served WAIS with integrity and commitment.

Lawrence advised "I am immensely proud of WAIS's record of success and the large number of athletes who have realised their sporting dreams and achieved their potential.

"Those athletes and all the WAIS staff who have worked, and continue to work with them have been inspirational for the next generation and deserve recognition and the pride of the Western Australian community."

Lawrence will depart WAIS as of tomorrow with the board to then begin a search for his replacement. 

Image: Steve Lawrence had been WAIS’s Chief Executive for 22 years. Credit: LinkedIn.