Andrew Sloane announced as South West Academy of Sport's new CEO

Sloane's appointment was announced on Thursday before starting on February 15.

Kaiser confirmed he was departing SWAS in December to become CEO of Volleyball ACT, a position based in Canberra.

Sloane has spent eight years working as the manger of the VicHealth Regional Sport Program.

He also spent time as a general manager and a board member of the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association. He is also currently president of the Pickleball Victoria.

The 40-year-old said he was looking forward to working with SWAS' members.

"I'll be primarily working with those aspiring athletes and high performance coaches because when we see what our junior athletes are capable of it's very exciting for the region," he said.

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"Particularly what role the academy has for being the launching pad for some of these athletes to succeed at a state and national level."

Sloane said the CEO role was something he had been aspiring to.

"I've been involved in grassroots and community sport for a decade now and I was looking for new challenges in the industry," he said.

"Outgoing CEO Nic Kaiser has done a great job to get it to the state it is and now I'll take on the reigns and hope to do everyone proud.

"I have always been quite ambitious and certainly have my views on how things can be done, improved and refined. This type of role is something that I was always aspiring to."

Sloane said he had learnt a lot about the south-west sporting community and hoped to continue the good work Kaiser started with SWAS.

"The south-west sporting community is a fantastic one to be in," he said.

"The dedication of volunteers to see not just their club but there sport thrive only means positive outcomes for the wider community.

"I'm really looking forward to connecting with our aspiring athletes, clubs, service providers and other stake holders.

"The more opportunity we provide for our young people to achieve their sporting dreams the better and stronger our sporting industry becomes."

Chair Mark Bridges said the SWAS board was looking forward to working with Sloane as he enters his new role and wishes Kaiser luck on the next chapter of his life.

"Andrew has over a decade of experience and achievements in the sport sector, more recently with South West Sport," he said.

"He brings to the position both experience working with state and local sporting organisations, boards, CEOs and senior management along with a strong skill set in developing strategies for growth and a vision to support and inspire local athletes.

"The board would like to acknowledge and thank Nic Kaiser, who has done a fantastic job over the past four years at SWAS, Nic and will be greatly missed.

"His dedication and influence on the development of Elite athletes in the south-west has been truly incredible.

"We wish Nic and his family the very best as they embrace a new chapter in their lives,"

Kaiser started in the role in 2017 and and in that time has helped the organisation increase its membership, sponsorship, and member value.

During his tenure SWAS has increased the number of sports programs and overseen a total of 130 state and 35 national representatives from the south-west.

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