Who are we?

Wheelchair Rugby Australia (WRA) is the governing body for the development and growth of the sport of wheelchair rugby in Australia.

WRA is dedicated to providing athletes with a disability the opportunity to participate and excel in wheelchair rugby from grassroots to international competition through our national team, the Australian Steelers.

While the sport was introduced to Australia in the 1980s, WRA was officially formed as an independent organisation in August 2022. Explore the history of wheelchair rugby in Australia.

Wheelchair Rugby Australia Ltd is a registered charity and not-for-profit recognised by The Australian Charities & Not-for-Profits Commission and is a recognised National Sporting Organisation by the Australian Sports Commission.

Want to learn more about Wheelchair Rugby Australia and why we do what we do? Watch the video below.

Steve has worked in sport for over 30 years. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Care Corporation, an Australian-owned and run nutrition and wellness company.  Steve was the CEO of Sport NSW, has provided sport and major event-related consultancy in Australia and overseas, and is a Visiting Fellow with the World Academy of Sport, facilitating and lecturing in courses to sporting federations and governments.

Steve is currently a Non-Executive Director of World Wheelchair Rugby and an Executive Board Member of the Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations (APSO). He is a recipient of the Australian Sports Medal and has served on the Boards of Paralympics Australia, Snow Australia and Rowing Australia.

Few leaders have the opportunity to find, create and build a team that inspires a generation.

Australian Sevens rugby coach Tim Walsh did exactly that. He took a group of little-known female athletes from diverse backgrounds, all with unique skills and moulded them into an Olympic champion team. His success leading the acclaimed Australian Women’s Sevens Rugby Team to the inaugural gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is one of both inspiration and strategic genius. They were the most successful rugby team in Australia for 5 years, with Tim boasting a unprecedented winning percentage of 86% whilst at the helm. An expert in high-performance and situational leadership, Tim is dedicated to helping Australian business, communities and sporting leaders to unlock their potential.

Tim, a former Queensland and Australian representative player, is back at the helm of the Australian Women’s Sevens Team after leading the men’s team through the Covid period. Since taking back the reins at the start of 2022, Tim led the team to his third HSBC Sevens World Series title, a Commonwealth Games gold medal and the team was also crowned Rugby Sevens World Cup champions. This treble has not before been achieved, in either the men’s or women’s competition.

A life-long learner, he has an MBA, is an Australian Institute of Company Directors graduate, holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Griffith University, a Professional Diploma in Sports Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), a Diploma in English Law and enjoys conversing in Italian.

Hannah has held senior roles in sport for over 12 years. Having worked across the AFL, NRL and A-League she is an experienced management professional who has extensive knowledge and experience in delivering strategic growth initiatives across all commercial areas of sports business.

She is currently engaged as the Chief Commercial Officer at Sydney FC, and is responsible for commercial strategy and growth across all consumer, corporate and foundation initiatives, as well as overseeing the club's content, marketing and brand for future brand growth and fan engagement.

She is uniquely placed to provide expertise on finance, resourcing and operational requirements to sustain revenue growth and sustainability for sports organisations.

Nathalie Mann is an impact strategist and public health specialist with over 18 years’ experience working across industries. She has a deep understanding of the Australian, Thai, Vietnamese and French healthcare systems.

Nathalie has experience in the areas of policy, strategy and innovation with extensive experience in business operations and development. Nathalie sits on boards across industries with a particular interest in disability and paediatrics. 

John is a deeply experienced wealth management professional with over 32 years of experience leading financial services experience, including wholesale and retail advice and managed discretionary account (MDA) operations.

Previously John was Head of the Financial Planning Division of Centric Wealth group where he worked from 2007 to 2011. Before this, John was Chief Executive Officer of the Halliday Financial Group, a boutique advice and MDA funds management business, from 2005 until its sale to Centric Wealth in 2007.

John was also a tax partner of Ernst & Young chartered accountants, heading up its Australian Business providing services to the wealth management industry and many leading corporate executives.

John has had involvement with community sport throughout his life and in recent years developed an interest in enabling people living with disability to access sport.

After representing Australia on court as part of the Steelers for over a decade, and competing in 3 Paralympics and 3 World Championships, Bryce has embarked on a career in assistive technology as an owner of Melrose Wheelchairs Australia and co-founder of Rove Wheelchairs.

Bryce recognises the benefits of sport and its importance in the recovery process for those who sustain a spinal cord injury. Excited to be the newest member of the board of WRA, he is looking forward to adding a ‘players perspective’ to the direction of rugby in Australia, towards Brisbane 2032.

Recognising the importance of grass roots sport and the opportunity to move up to the elite level, Bryce is looking forward to further strengthening Australia’s standing in world rugby.

Completing a Commerce degree at Monash University in 2002, Bryce prefers a ‘hands on’ approach to tackling business. In his limited spare time he likes to travel and hit the slopes with his family skiing.

Anathea Ruys is a highly accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience steering organisations to success both here in Australia, as well as in New Zealand, the USA, and the Asia Pacific region.  

Her career is distinguished by a consistent and passionate focus on forging meaningful connections between brands and consumers, driving substantial and measurable business growth as a result. Anathea is able to dissect intricate challenges, transforming them into clear, actionable strategies.  

She is adept at navigating complex stakeholder relationships within multifaceted organisations, skillfully managing competing agendas across diverse markets to achieve unified goals.  

As a visionary leader, Anathea is known for her exceptional communication skills, her talent for inspiring and motivating teams, and her commitment to fostering collaborative environments.  

Beyond her leadership acumen, Anathea is an experienced negotiator, having successfully facilitated partnerships with numerous global brands.  

Furthermore, she is a passionate and dedicated advocate for inclusion, actively working on LGBTQIA+ and enablement committees, implementing policies that enabled UM to be the first certified family friendly media agency in Australia and serving as a Pillar Lead for the UN Women’s Unstereotype Alliance, demonstrating her commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive world. 

Eve Ireland is a marketing and transformation leader with over 20 years of experience driving digital innovation across globally recognised brands.  

As General Manager of Next Gen Marketing at Woolworths Group, she’s helping marketing teams embrace MarTech, data, automation and AI - freeing them up to focus on deeper customer understanding, creativity and building campaigns that truly resonate. 

Her global perspective was shaped by leading digital marketing teams at Time Out Group, lastminute.com, and British Airways—building future-ready capabilities across content strategy, performance marketing, social media, and e-commerce. She’s built high-performing teams across continents, always with a focus on innovation, inclusion, and making marketing work smarter.  

Kate McLoughlin is an experienced sports executive with over 25 years in high performance sport, leadership, and major event delivery. She is currently the Head of Games and International Engagement at Paralympics Australia and has served as Chef de Mission for the Australian Paralympic Team for five Paralympic Games campaigns since 2016. 

Kate has worked across a range of sporting organisations, including the NSW Institute of Sport, Australian Olympic Committee, Sport and Recreation Queensland, and Chelsea Football Club, giving her a broad and informed perspective on the national and international sport landscape. She has worked with Wheelchair Rugby since 2009 and brings deep understanding of the sport’s community, culture, and performance environment. 

Kate is committed to inclusive leadership, athlete-centred practice, and sustainable sport governance and is passionate about having an impact through her membership of the Wheelchair Rugby Australia board. 

Chris was appointed as the inaugural CEO of Wheelchair Rugby Australia in 2022, having demonstrated his capability as a sports administrator with Disability Sports Australia. Prior to this, Chris was responsible for the delivery of a number of iconic Australian sporting events before first becoming involved with wheelchair rugby as the Marketing and Partnerships Manager for the GIO IWRF 2018 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship and then as the General Manager - Wheelchair Rugby.

Chris has high ambitions for wheelchair rugby in Australia, and is passionate about generating it’s growth and sustainability to ensure its long-term success both domestically and internationally.

Chris is currently the Regional General Manager - Oceania for World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR).

Kelsey is a motivated sports and events professional who across her career has demonstrated her capability across a number of business areas. Most recently, Kelsey was the General Manager - Sport at Disability Sports Australia and has seen first-hand the physical, emotional and social benefits of sport whilst raising awareness and profile of sport and active recreation, in particular for people with a disability.

As part of a small team, Kelsey has self-taught herself graphic design and how to write website code and media content for an array of sports. 

A sporting tragic herself, Kelsey loves to watch and immerse herself in as many sports as she can, and often finds herself studying the results, rules and statistics of many of her sports of choice. 

Jayme is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Human Resources and Sport Management—a combination that perfectly aligns with her passion for both people and sport. Outside of her studies, she is actively involved in playing AFL and netball, while also enjoying watching a wide variety of sports.

Jayme is excited to begin her journey with Wheelchair Rugby Australia, where she looks forward to making a meaningful impact and supporting the growth of the sport.