OTTAWA (Own the Podium) - Alex Baumann StepsDown as Chief Executive Officer of Own the Podium —Baumann moves closer to family, pursues new opportunity

Alex Baumann will cap off an emotional year by relinquishing his duties as chief executive officer of Own the Podium. 

Baumann made the difficult decision with his family on Wednesday following his second bout with cancer, which forced him to undergo surgery of the prostate in late April. 

“There is a saying that when a person gets cancer, the whole family gets cancer,” said Baumann. “I watched over the months the impact this diagnosis had on my wife and children. The waiting, the worrying and the uncertainty probably put more stress on them than me. It is times such as these we realize the importance of family and time together.” 

The Baumann family will be relocating to New Zealand in January. The move will allow Baumann, along with his Australian-born wife, Tracy, and their two children to also be closer to extended family. 

“What most people don’t know is that I have no relatives in Canada at all, and Tracy’s family are all in Australia,” said Baumann, who originally moved Down Under in 1991 for family reasons. “It is in these moments of life’s greatest challenges that we turn to our families for the love and support only they can provide. We missed having that support, and the tyranny of distance began to take its toll, which sparked our thinking it was time to consider leaving Canada earlier than planned.” 

The stars aligned for the Baumann household. While considering the risks of leaving Canada without a job, Baumann was recruited to the position of chief executive officer for High-Performance Sport New Zealand. He will begin his new role January 31, 2012. 

“This is definitely an exciting opportunity for me, but there is a reason I have a maple leaf tattooed over my heart – I love Canada,” added Baumann. “I hope people can appreciate this was not an easy decision, but I have to do what I believe to be best for my family.” 

A fierce competitor, both in the boardroom and in the pool where he became one of Canada’s greatest swimmers after standing on top of the podium twice at the Olympics, Baumann returned to Canada in 2006 following 15 years of building medal-winning programs in Australia in roles such as the executive director for the Queensland Academy of Sport and chief executive officer of Queensland Swimming. 

Baumann’s five-year stint with Own the Podium began as executive director of the organization’s summer-focused initiative, Road to Excellence, which eventually united under the name Own the Podium in 2009. Baumann succeeded Roger Jackson in the role of chief executive officer in April 2010. 

After taking over the reigns of Own the Podium, Baumann continued the organization’s clear mission for medals while leading high-performance sport in Canada. He developed a business plan that has secured increased funding from the Government of Canada, and has provided access to the sport services and resources athletes require to be fully prepared to win. 

“Our goal has always been to create a system that rivals any sport system in the world. We have made great strides in a shorttime to establish Canada as a world-leader in high-performance sport,” said Baumann. “I am proud of our ability to build a talented and dedicated team of colleagues in both our Ottawa and Calgary offices, all of whom played a critical role in streamlining our operations for Canada’s summer and winter sports with the same objective in mind – to own the podium.” 

But it is his passionate and tireless efforts to raise the bar on results, with the goal of propelling more Canadian athletes onto the international podium, that Baumann will be most remembered for at OTP. 

During his tenure, Canada’s winter-sport athletes have remained committed to finishing number one overall at the Olympic Winter Games while holding their place as a winter-sport powerhouse after finishing second in the number of World Championship medals won in 2011. Canada’s summer-sport athletes have also made steady improvements under Baumann’s leadership since the 2004 Olympic Summer Games, moving from 19th to 15th place in total medal count at the Olympics in Beijing. Canada’s summer athletes share a collective goal of finishing in the top-12 at the 2012 Olympics, and achieving a top-eight result in the gold medal count at the Paralympic Games 

“Alex is an extraordinary leader, who has done an exceptional job of ensuring Canada’s high-performance sport culture remains focused on excellence,” said John Furlong, chair, Own the Podium. “Alex has played a pivotal role in Own the Podium’s evolution and positioning Canadian athletes for a record performance in London next summer. His uncompromisingattitude to succeed at the highest level is a huge reason why support for Canada’s athletes, coaches and national sport organizations has never been stronger. The sport community owes him a big thank you. We will miss him atOTP, but health and family are most important. We wish Alex and his family the very best of luck.” 

Own the Podium will immediately begin its national search for a new chief executive officer. 

Baumann’s last day with Own the Podium will be on October 1, 2011. His family will use the next three months to relocate to New Zealand.