For Suzanne Paulins, swimming has been an integral part of her life, whether it has been as a competitive swimmer, official or as an executive leader.
Paulins, who most recently became CEO of Swimming Canada, described her early begins in the sport
“I’m the oldest of three, and when I was young, my grandmother was in a boating accident where she was swept overboard. She was not a swimmer and nearly drowned. My parents made a commitment that my brother, sister and I would all know how to swim, and so that’s kind of what triggered the beginning of swimming for me…from there I started at the Trenton Dolphins which is a swim club in Trenton, Ontario. It was there that we swam out of the Canadian Forces base in the area. I joined that team…swimming competitively [and] my parents were involved as volunteers…and that’s where my [love of] swimming began, but also a desire to volunteer and to give back to the community. I really attributed that back to my parents. My dad was a teacher and also a high school football coach, and so I grew up on the side of a football field as well. He was an incredible role model…and my mom’s participation and as a volunteer and what she gave…set me on a path to be where I am today,” explained Paulins.

As she studied Physical Education/Kinesiology at Laurentian University, Paulins would gain some experience interning at Swim Ontario. After graduation, she would then move to Brantford in 1991.
“I worked for the Employment Center (Canadian government) for five years as an employment counselor…In 1997 they went through a bit of a restructure…so I finished my career with the government. One day, my husband and I went into the bank looking for a mortgage. We came away with a mortgage that day…and I also came out with a new job! So, I started my career with Bank of Montreal…working in the branches in Brantford, Paris, St. George and Cambridge. I worked my way up…I started as a teller then became a customer service rep, then an assistant manager, a manager [in] customer service [and] I was a lender for many years, and then becoming a branch manager,” Paulins recalled. “In the last four years of my career with BMO, I worked at corporate office in Toronto as a strategic initiatives project manager within the HR area….rolling out large scale projects from an HR perspective that would be launched in the branch world. This basically married my branch experience with the HR passion that I had…I was with BMO for 20 years before I made the jump into the non-profit world related to swimming.”
Nevertheless, just like her own parents, Paulins was very involved with her own children when it came to swimming
“I have three children, and when my oldest was about five…she worked her way out of the Red Cross lessons…she progressed quickly [and] we joined the Brantford Aquatic Club and transitioned her over to their swim school program. She would then start a pre competitive [program] and her brothers followed in her footsteps…[and] it was there that they started competing…I had a passion for the sport…so, and also being a parent, I didn’t just want to sit in the stands. I wanted to be involved. To be on the dock, and so I was quickly taken under the wing of Kim Smith, who was the meet manager who showed everything. I loved that work and started to officiate more and more, working up through the levels of officiating. [Eventually becoming a level five by about 2006,” Paulins said.

By 2007, Paulins became the president of the Brantford Aquatic Club, further immersing herself in the local swimming scene.
“I did that for eight years. I was doing pretty much all of the management for meets for the club, while trying to train new people to come in and join [as well as] doing some succession planning. We went through some staffing changes and during that period of time, we hired Tom Langridge and Jocelyn Jay.who were transformative during this great period of growth for the club which was fantastic,” she said.
Paulins, who has been elected to the 2025 class of the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition, would leverage her experience in both leadership and officiating to transition to an executive role, becoming VP of Swim Ontario in 2015.
“I originally put my name for the Swim Ontario board of directors in 2009, and was elected [and] went on to be on that board of directors for eight [in which] for the in the last couple of years, serving as the vice president,” she said. “And one of the great accomplishments during my time there was the creation of the strategic plan for Swim Ontario that went from 2013 to 2020…it was something that I’m really proud of…helping really grow the swimming community in Ontario.”

However, by 2017 Paulins would go on to accept a role with Swimming Canada, which led to leaving her two-decade career with BMO.
“In June of 2017 I had a phone call from the CEO Ahmed El-Awadi to say that there was a position open as the senior manager of domestic operations…a role that oversaw coaches, education, officials, development and education as well as the long-term athlete development strategy…and he thought I would be a good fit so I was interviewed, and got the job… I would now have an opportunity to do this as a full-time job which was an was an incredible opportunity for me. It meant leaving a 20-year career at BMO, but it was so exciting [and] with my family’s support I made the jump to Swimming Canada,” she noted. “It was serendipitous [and] just an amazing opportunity to be able to work for an [organization like this] …along with growing the team…I oversaw our national events…which became part of my portfolio. And as the years continued…my role expanded further to become director of sport development, and then director of sport development and operations, which then led me to the time when there was a different need within the organization.”
However, in 2023, Paulins became acting CEO of Swimming Canada and eventually leading to the permanent CEO role in 2025.
“I had been doing a lot of it for the previous couple of years, but in a different way…, but this was obviously much more formalized. I took on that challenge because it’s about the people involved…and the athletes. And the reason I’m doing the job that I’m doing is because of my kids and, by extension, every single one of their teammates [and] my commitment to put the athletes first and to create a better environment for them. That’s my driving motivation,” she said.
