Senior Management Staff

Regulatory & Commercial Manager - Charlotte Churchill

Charlotte holds a combined Bachelor of Arts (International Relations and Political Science)/Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of New South Wales graduating with Merit in 2006. 

It was whilst at university that Charlotte first became involved in sports law when in 2006 she was awarded the UNSW Sport & the Law Orators Trophy Prize. During this time Charlotte also worked as a legal researcher at the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions and served as Vice President of UNSW Law Society Equity and Social Justice Portfolio.   

Whilst at university Charlotte was also awarded the UNSW Sydney Morning Herald Prize for placing first in a Politics and International Relations major at UNSW and the 2003 NSW Parliament’s Presiding Officers Prize for the UNSW Public Policy Research Internship Programme which Charlotte completed in the office of then NSW Opposition Leader John Brogden. 

Prior to joining SUSF Charlotte was an Associate at John Connolly & Partners, one of Australia’s leading independent public relations and government affairs firms. Specialising in advising the Chairmen and Chief Executives of a select number of large Australian and international corporations, Charlotte worked with clients including two of the world's largest resources companies and seven ASX Top Twenty media, banking and retail sectors companies.

As an Associate Charlotte specialised in corporate communications advising on and developing media, analyst, government and retail shareholder communications strategies for large scale mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation, crisis management and large scale corporate communication campaigns.  

Throughout her career Charlotte has also maintained her involvement in sport both personally and professionally including through the publication of her sports law commentary by the Australian Society for Sports & History.

Charlotte’s first sporting passion is surfing and nearly every morning of the year she can be found surfing on the northern beaches or at swimming training. When she is not in the water she is a dedicated follower of both the National Rugby League and Rugby Union. 

Programs & Participation Manager - Stephen King

Steve has been with SUSF since early 2007 and started with the company as the first interfaculty sport intern. Steve then took on the role of Customer Service Assistant at The Arena and simultaneously assisted our Finance Department before moving to work for our AFL Club as their Club Administrator for 18 months.

At the beginning of 2010 Steve was employed as our University Programs Manager and did an outstanding job in all facets of his work within that position.

Stephen is a graduate of Sydney University having attained a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Arts and is an avid participant in every tipping comp we run. 

Marketing & Membership Manager - Jessica Laycock

Jessica graduated with a Bachelor of Business Marketing from Charles Sturt University in Bathurst before moving to Sydney to commence work in the sports marketing field.

Whilst in this marketing position Jessica completed a Digital and Direct Marketing Certificate from the Australian Direct Marketing Association, and gained extensive knowledge in event management, brand management and loyalty marketing. After just over three years in this role, she moved on to a position in the telecommunications sector to gain broader experience in the marketing and communications field.

In 2009, Jess took on a marketing role in the publishing industry on a leading home and lifestyle, multi-media brand. She was able to work collaboratively on key consumer and trade activities and was involved in a range of marketing, events, communication, and promotional strategies.

Jess joined Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness in May 2011 and enjoys playing social netball.

Elite Athlete Program Manager - Leonie Lum

As a firm believer of the benefits of sport and physical activity for healthy minds, bodies and communities, Leonie Lum graduated from The University of Sydney in 2005 with a Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Human Movement & Health Education). Following a brief period of teaching in various Sydney secondary schools during 2006, Leonie began working at then called, Sydney Uni Sport, as a Recreation Officer in 2007. Since that time and up until late 2010, Leonie worked in several roles within the Sport & Recreation department; successfully managing several participation-based sport and recreation programs for students, staff and the local community of The University of Sydney.

Appointed as Programs & Participation Manager in December 2010, Leonie administered a positive transformation within the department as she continued her mission to encourage and enable participation in sport and physical activity, as well as enrich the university experience for staff and students of the University. Leonie also commenced postgraduate studies at the University of Technology, Sydney in 2010 and completed a Graduate Certificate in Business Administration in early 2011.

From April 2011, Leonie was then charged with the responsibility of managing the Elite Athlete Program. Through utilising her knowledge and skills in education and program management and blending this with her passion for learning and sport, Leonie now oversees the team which assists SUSF’s large contingent of elite and talented scholarship holders to achieve to their potential in their sport and their studies.

If she’s not in the office or at home enjoying Bondi Beach, Leonie can often be found training in one of our facilities. With a sporting background in track and field, as well as a first-degree black belt in Hap Ki Do, Leonie is now an amateur boxer with Sydney University Boxing Club. Recently, Leonie won the Australian Amateur Boxing League’s NSW female lightweight title and while heading to Rio in 2016 is not on her to-do list, she aims to qualify and compete at nationals over the next couple of years.

High Performance Manager - Matthew Phelps

Appointed in February 2010, Matthew brings to the role a wealth of experience gained over the past 20 years in professional sport, athlete welfare, coaching, human resources and various club positions.

Having completed a Bachelor of Sports Science (Coaching Major) degree at the University of New South Wales in 1995, Matthew assumed various positions with Cricket NSW before making his debut as a First Class cricketer for NSW in 1998. Over the next eight years, roles in Human Resources, Coaching and starting a Graduate Diploma of Business at the University of Sydney, coupled with cricket activities, led Matthew to retire in 2006 with 38 First Class and 25 Domestic One-Day matches for his state, winning the Pura Cup competition in 2004/05, claiming three somestic One-Day titles and claiming the prize of NSW Pura Cup Player of the Year in 2005/06. Matthew has been awarded a sporting "Blue" from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney.

Upon retiring, Matthew spent two years with Cricket NSW coordinating their Country Cricket program before spending two further years with the Rugby Union Players Association as the Player Welfare Manager for the NSW Waratahs franchise. During this four year period, Matthew completed his Graduate Diploma of Business (Human Resource Major) and coached the Sydney University Cricket Club to various premierships.

The High Performance and Club Development role was developed to provide a greater link between the SUSF clubs, the Elite Athlete Program, the Strength and Conditioning Program and our vast array of club coaches/administrators to implement a module of sustainability for all 45 SUSF Clubs.

In his spare time he continues his love for all sports providing specialist Batting coaching to NSW and Sydney University athletes and coaches his son's U/9 cricket team. He participates in regular golf rounds and has developed a passion for mountain biking. 

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Finance & Administration Manager - Aleksandra Pozder

Aleksandra was educated at the University of Sydney, graduating with Bachelor of Economics (Economics & Econometrics) in 2002 and Master of Commerce (Accounting & Finance) in 2003. In 2002 Aleksandra was placed on the Dean's List of Excellence in Academic Performance as recognition for her academic achievement.

Following her graduation Aleksandra worked within the financial services industry before returning to the University of Sydney in 2005 to undertake position in gift processing with Advancement Services. In 2006 Aleksandra accepted a Finance Officer position overseeing the finance function for the Office of the University Relations and Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific. Aleksandra accepted a Finance Manager position with the Centre for Continuing Education in 2007, while in 2008 she also assumed responsibility for the management of HR function and the Accounting Continuing Education Program. Since 2009 Aleksandra has worked in accounting, finance and HR roles with Corporate Finance and Financial Management and Analysis departments where her main responsibilities included management reports, analysis, budgeting and forecasting as well as HR related tasks. Aleksandra joined Sydney University Sport and Fitness in 2010, accepting a Finance and Administration Manager position where she overseas the finance and administration area including HR.

Aleksandra was a member of Sydney University Athletics Club while studying, focusing on long distance running. She still maintains a keen interest in this sport.

In her spare time Aleksandra tutors disadvantaged high school students and elite athlete students from the University of Sydney.

Operations Manager - David Shaw

David joined SUSF in June of 2008 as Operations and Facilities Manager. In 2010, responsibility for ICT was added to his portfolio. In his short time here, he has overseen many capital works improvements, including: the Arena tiling, air-conditioning, cardio expansion, new reception and Ledge bouldering expansion; the SUSAC pool windows refurbishment, gym equipment upgrade, foyer upgrade and pool plant upgrade; and the Glebe Boatshed footing renewal, replacement pontoon and roof and A/C replacement.

David completed a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at Sydney University in the late 1980s / early 1990s. He worked for over 15 years as a Software Engineer in the Telecommunications industry.

While studying he joined the Sydney University Soccer Football Club (SUSFC) in 1988 and is still an active player in the Over 35s. In over 20 years with our football club, he has served on the committee in several roles, most notably as President from 2001-2005. During this time he oversaw the promotion of our men’s and women’s teams to the Super League and the merger of our men’s and women’s clubs.

SUSFC awarded David the Brendan Casey Outstanding Service Award in 1998 for his contribution to the club (most notably for establishing the club’s website) and Honorary Life Membership in 2006 for services to the club. SUSF recognised his contribution by awarding him a University Gold in 2002 and the Rosenblum Trophy for Outstanding Administrator of the Year in 2005.

David comes to SUSF with a wealth of engineering, project management, IT and sporting administration experience. His new role allows him to combine his passion for football and sport generally with excellence in customer service and engineering operations.

Corporate & Alumni Relations Manager - Rodney Tubbs

On leaving school, Rodney Tubbs obtained a part-time Economics degree from The University of Sydney, while working for the Reserve Bank of Australia and then Slazenger Dunlop. He also played lots of sport (especially Australian Rules football) for Sydney Uni. On graduating, he spent 13 years with the AC Nielsen marketing research organisation, including 5 years as a Director of the Board.

He left corporate life to develop a network of training centres, specialising in communication skills training for both businesses (advanced reading skills, business writing skills, public speaking skills, negotiating skills, etc) and students (reading, essay writing and study skills). After 15 years, the Improved Communication Skills network comprised 37 franchisees throughout Australia with more than 1,000 corporate clients and more than 1,500 secondary school clients. General public courses were held at every Australian university.

Prior to selling his business in 1998, Tubbsy began staging annual ‘Blue & Gold’ functions for our sporting alumni and supporters of sport at Sydney Uni. In 2000, he launched the ‘Blue & Gold’ Club, attracting annual membership subscriptions from both individual and corporate members.

As the ‘Blue & Gold’ Club and its annual sporting functions evolved, Rod assumed responsibility for finding/servicing sponsors for Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness and also for the Sydney Uni Flames WNBL team. He is also heavily involved in the quest for philanthropic donations to sport at Sydney Uni and is the chairman of the USSF Council, which administers the 10 Divisions of the University of Sydney Sport Foundation.

Tubbsy is a  competitive golfer; plays tennis every Tuesday night and ... despite having four grandchildren ... retains a youthful exuberance for the various roles involved in Corporate & Alumni Relations at SUSF!