Kim Brennan AM

Kim Brennan AM (née Crow) is one of Australia’s most accomplished Olympians – an Olympic gold, silver and bronze medallist, lawyer, technology consultant and former Deputy Chef de Mission for the Australian Team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. In recognition of her extraordinary contribution to sport, Kim was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2023.

Kim’s elite sporting career began in track and field, where she was a standout junior hurdler, winning silver at the World Youth Championships and ranking second in Australia in the 400m hurdles. A series of stress fractures forced her to abandon her Olympic athletics aspirations, but not her Olympic dream. In 2005, Kim made the bold decision to take up rowing, a sport she had never tried, and within eight months she had earned selection on her first Australian team.

Kim went on to win a bronze medal in the women’s eight at the World Rowing Championships in her first year and later competed at three consecutive Olympic Games. At the London 2012 Olympics, she made history by competing in two separate rowing events, winning silver in the women’s double sculls with Brooke Pratley and bronze in the women’s single sculls. Kim completed her Olympic medal set at the Rio 2016 Games, delivering a dominant performance to win gold in the women’s single sculls and becoming Australia’s first female Olympic champion in the event in 20 years as well as the Australian team’s sole gold medallist in Rio.

Widely regarded as one of the most relentless and intelligent competitors in Australian sport, Kim is renowned for her discipline, technical mastery and mental toughness. Her achievements were recognised with numerous accolades, including Gina Rinehart Award for Leadership, Australian Female Sportsperson of the Year, Rowers’ Rower of the Year, Female Rower of the Year, ACT Sportsperson of the Year, Victorian Sportsperson of the Year, Women’s Health Sportsperson of the Year, and selection as Australia’s flag bearer at the Closing Ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2017 for her service to rowing, elite athlete welfare and the community.

Beyond competition, Kim has been a powerful advocate for athletes and Australian sport. She chaired the Australian Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission from 2012-2016 and continues to serve in senior governance roles across the sporting landscape, including as Deputy Chair of the Australian Olympic Athletes’ Commission, a member of the AOC High Performance Committee, the AIS Ethics Committee, the Australian Sports Foundation Board, and Chair of the ASF Audit and Risk Committee.

Kim’s excellence extends well beyond sport. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with first class honours in Media and Communications/Law, ranking top female, second overall, in her graduating class, and later completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course. Kim currently works as a management consultant for EY, specialising in performance ethics, technology transformation, culture and emerging technology, and has been named one of the Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Women of Influence. 

An accomplished MC and keynote speaker, Kim speaks powerfully on leadership, teamwork, resilience, performance under pressure and navigating change. Authentic, intelligent and deeply inspiring, she is equally at ease on stage, in the media or in conversation. Kim can also present jointly with her husband, Olympic gold medallist and medical doctor Scott Brennan. An exceptional role model, Kim Brennan AM brings lived experience, credibility and impact to every audience she addresses.