Indian-origin community leader and diversity champion Molina Asthana has been elected to the Vicsport board, becoming one of three new directors chosen at the organisation’s 2025 Annual General Meeting.
Molina Asthana, Matthew Duck and Melinda Jacobsen were voted in by Vicsport’s affiliate members at the AGM held in-person and online on 25 November, while Ruth Holdaway MBE and Adam Crameri were re-elected for another term.
Asthana’s appointment is particularly significant. A prominent advocate for diversity and inclusion in sport, she founded Multicultural Women in Sport and currently serves as Chair of Handball Victoria and Deputy Chair of Table Tennis Victoria. She has previously chaired Gymnastics Victoria and the AFL South East Regional Advisory Council.
She also holds ambassadorial roles with Cricket Australia, the AFL, the Commonwealth Games and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and contributes nationally through the Australian Sports Commission’s Play Well Leadership Group. Her legal background includes senior roles at the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office and major firms such as Clayton Utz and Minter Ellison.
Asthana said her broad experience has shown her “how sport can be used to address social issues such as family violence, discrimination and social cohesion,” particularly for diverse communities.
The AGM also confirmed the election of Matthew Duck, CEO of Athletics Victoria, who has led three sporting organisations over the past decade and delivered major financial and governance uplifts since taking his current role in 2022. Duck said he is keen to strengthen Vicsport’s role as a connector across different sports and build collegiality among industry leaders.
Melinda Jacobsen, a Senior Consultant with MosaicLab, was also elected. With 20 years of experience spanning start-ups, national organisations and statutory authorities, Jacobsen has led major governance improvements, cross-sector collaborations on gender equality, and advocacy in areas such as road safety and women’s cycling.
Bringing decades of combined experience across sport and recreation, the newly elected directors join existing board members Jason Hellwig (Chair), Rochelle Eime (Deputy Chair), Rayoni Nelson OLY, Allana Sharman and Andrew Skillern.
The AGM marked the conclusion of board tenures for Louise Ayres, Ayden Shaw and Fabio Serpiello. Vicsport thanked them for their service and contributions to the organisation’s growth.
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