Johanna Adriaanse

Dr. Johanna Adriaanse is an international expert in sport, women and gender equality. She began her career as a Teacher in Physical Education and Sport in schools in the Netherlands, Italy and Australia. In 1991 she joined the University of Technology Sydney where she currently is an Associate of the Business School. She completed her PhD on gender dynamics in sport governance at the University of Sydney. Her research interest is in the area of sport and gender. She has published her work in prestigious academic journals in the field including the Journal of Sport Management, Sociology of Sport Journal and the Journal of Business Ethics. She has been a visiting scholar in the USA (Smith College, Massachusetts), the Netherlands (Utrecht University) and Norway (Norwegian University of Sport Sciences).

In addition, Johanna is a strong public advocate for women's rights in sport and has completed several projects with UN Women in New York. She regularly appears in the media and has delivered presentations at conferences in all continents of the world.

Throughout her career she has held numerous leadership positions, both nationally and internationally. She has been, among other, President of Womensport NSW (2000-2004), Co-chair of the International Working Group on Women and Sport (2006-2014) and has served on the board of WomenSport International since 2005. She convened the 5th World Conference on Women and Sport in Sydney in 2010 and founded its legacy: the Sydney Scoreboard Global Index for Women in Sport Leadership.

In 2004 Johanna received the Margaret Pewtress Memorial Award from the Australian Government for her outstanding contribution to women's sport. She has been recognised as an Ambassador for Business Events Sydney since 2009. Representing the Netherlands in the Europe Cup for Hockey, she was a member of the team that won 4 gold medals in the 1970s. She has been able to combine her professional career with being the proud mother of Arabella, Johan and Luigi.