Dr Johanna Adriaanse is a globally acknowledged expert in women, sport and gender equality. As an academic at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) for more than 30 years, her work has focused on education, research and advocacy.
Currently, she is a Professional Fellow in Sport Management at UTS Business School and an International Advisor at UK Sport in London. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney.
As an educator, Johanna was Director of the Sport Science and Sport Management Degrees at UTS from 2005-2009. Further, she has been a visiting scholar in the USA (Smith College, Massachusetts), the Netherlands (Utrecht University) and Norway (Norwegian University of Sport Sciences).
In the area of research, she has investigated women’s representation in sport leadership. She has widely shared her work in leading academic and professional publications, and at conferences/workshops in all continents of the world.
As a public advocate for women’s rights in sport, Johanna has completed several projects with UN Women in New York. Further, she has been President of Womensport NSW (2000-2004) and Co-chair of the International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG), the world’s largest network to empower women and girls in sport (2006-2014).
Johanna received a Trailblazer Award from the NSW Government for advancing women and sport in 2020 and the Margaret Pewtress Memorial Award from the Australian Government for her outstanding contribution to women’s sport in 2004. She was a Global Ambassador of Business Events Sydney from 2009 to 2021.
Representing the Netherlands in the Europe Cup for Hockey, she was a member of the team that won four gold medals in the 1970s. Nowadays in the weekends, you can often find her sailing on Sydney Harbour.
