New Zealand squash player Susie Simcock became an influential name and pioneer in the sport, serving in several high-profile roles. Simcock initially competed in field hockey and athletics whilst at university before eventually switching to squash. She soon moved from playing the game to being actively involved in the management and administration of the sport. Throughout the 1980s she managed the New Zealand team at the World Squash Championships in addition to working as the director of the Women’s World Open, which was held in Auckland in 1987. Two years later she had been elected as the Vice-President of the World Squash Federation before becoming the organisation’s first female President in 1996. Simcock served in the role until 2002, in addition to being a board member of the New Zealand Olympic Committee from 1996 to 2008 and the first female council member of the General Assembly of International Sporting Federations in 2000. In 2018 she was awarded with the Order of Merit award from the Commonwealth Games Federation, and she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2019.
New Zealand