There has been some recent changes to the Board of Diving Victoria with the resignation of Dr Sonja Hood and the new appointment of Martin Barr.

Sonja has been a life-long supporter of the North Melbourne Football Club (NMFC) and with her expertise within the community and government relations space, she was recognised as a key addition in assisting the club to strategically grow their brand, footprint and profile. As a result, she was appointed to the Board of NMFC in late December 2019 and therefore has resigned from her role with Diving Victoria. Whilst we are disappointed to lose her expertise, Diving Victoria wishes to extend our gratitude to Sonja for the committment she has made to the sport over the past 12 months and wish her all the very best with her role within NMFC. 

In light of this transition, Diving Victoria is thrilled to announce the appointment of Martin Barr to the Board for a one year term, commencing 4 February 2020. Martin is currently the Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications for Myer, where he has responsibility for external and internal communications for the Company, as well as Government Relations. Prior to this role he was Head of Corporate Affairs for Ixom, formerly part of Orica, and had responsibility for government and community relations as well as external and internal communications.

Martin has held various roles in the government and the private sector focusing on communications, issues management, government and media relations. Martin's most recent government role was Principal Media Adviser to the Hon. Dr Denis Napthine MP, former Premier of Victoria. 

Prior to this, Martin was a Senior Business Communications Manager for Australia Post and a Public Affairs Manager and National Media Spokesperson for Telstra. 

Martin was also an Adviser to the Hon. Julie Bishop MP when she was a Cabinet Minister in the Howard Government and is currently a Councillor for the Old Scotch Collegians Association.

The Diving Victoria Board wishes to extend a very warm welcome to Martin and we look forward to working alongside him over the next 12 months.