The Australian Women's Register

Catherine Ordway has a Bachelor of Arts (Jurisprudence) and Law from the University of Adelaide; a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the University of South Australia; and a Graduate Diploma in Investigations Management from Charles Sturt University. She has been admitted as a solicitor in the High Court, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales. Catherine lectures at the Masters level in sports law and sports management subjects: at La Trobe University (risk management), the University of New South Wales (anti-doping), the University of Melbourne (sports integrity and investigations) and the University of Canberra (performance integrity). She has also taught undergraduate sports management units as Senior Lecturer at the University of Canberra.

Catherine Ordway is currently completing her PhD in governance, leadership and sports integrity. The Australian Sports Commission has mandated a 40% gender inclusion policy and intends that this should lead to better integrity outcomes. Her research involves gathering data and consulting stakeholders to determine whether this new regulatory initiative is likely to have the desired effect.

A former national level handballer, Catherine Ordway has competed for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in rugby union, and at intervarsity level in fencing. Her professional interest in integrity in sport began when, as a solicitor working for Browne & Co from 1997, her primary client was the Australian Olympic Committee. She appeared in over thirty anti-doping hearings, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport or National Sports Dispute Centre, in the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games. (Catherine understands that she was the first Australian female lawyer to ‘prosecute’ athletes under the relevant anti-doping policies, and remains one of the few women world-wide to do so.) At that time, Catherine had conducted one third of all international anti-doping cases. After living and working in Europe and the Middle East for five years developing national and international anti-doping programs, she returned to Canberra to work at the Senior Executive level at the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).

Ordway has represented and chaired tribunals in sports as diverse as: archery, athletics, baseball, combat sports, cricket, cycling, football, softball and swimming in a variety of selection, anti-doping and code of conduct disputes. Catherine has also served as a board member of Australian Canoeing and Capital Football. Catherine is on the International Sports Law Journal (ISLJ) Editorial and Advisory Board and is an Expert Contributor to the Australian Sports Commission Clearinghouse. Catherine is also an Ethics and Integrity Panel member for Triathlon Australia.

AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS

• Brazilian Olympic Award, as a consultant contributing to the IOC awarding hosting rights to Rio for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games
• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), legal paper prize
• Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA), legal paper prize
• Represented WADA at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games in the WADA Outreach team
• Represented WADA at the 2007 Rio Pan-American Games as a WADA Independent Observer

CURRENT (2015) TRIBUNAL AND BOARD MEMBERSHIPS

• International Sports Law Journal (ISLJ) Editorial Board
• International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Medical & Anti-Doping representative for Australia
• International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Doping Panel
• World Baseball-Softball Confederation (WBSC), Baseball Division, Medical and Anti-Doping Commission [formerly IBAF] -Expert
• SportAccord Members Doping Hearing Panel
• West Indies Cricket Board’s Independent Review Board
• Australian Sports Commission, Clearinghouse, Expert Contributor
• Triathlon Australia, Ethics and Integrity Panel member
• Australian & New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA) Member, 1996- The only lawyer asked by ANZSLA to present in five capital cities as part of the 2013 national roadshow on the Australian Football League and Australian Sport Anti-Doping Authority investigation into the Essendon Football Club: “Doping Issues in Sport and the ACC Report”
• Women on Boards (WOB) Co-Founder, 2001- The WOB network was co-founded by Ruth Medd and myself to connect interested and talented women with, initially sports, corporate and not-for-profit boards to increase the gender and skills diversity in decision-making. It now has almost 22,000 subscribers from all sectors and industries including rural, mining, and the public service. The network has many qualified, female executives from legal, financial, IT, sales and marketing, human resources, business development and project management backgrounds who are looking for a Board career. WOB has recently expanded into the UK and Hong Kong.