Board and staff

Badminton Victoria Board

Rochelle LIYANAGE

President

Badminton Victoria Board Member since 2011
Badminton Victoria President from 2016
Played badminton competitively/socially for over 20 years

Peejade CHENG

Finance Director

Badminton Victoria Board Member since 2009 (having been assumed Ordinary Member, President and Financial Director)
Committee member with the Melbourne University Badminton Club since 2005
Played badminton competitively for over 20 years

Cynthia TAM

Board Member (since April 2019)

Currently an Oceania Accredited Umpire and mentor to new and developing technical officials.
Represented Western Australia as a player in junior and senior State Teams from 2007 to 2014.
Commenced technical officiating career in 2010.
International tournament experience includes the Sudirman Cup, Commonwealth Games, Australian Open, New Zealand Open, Macau Open, Singapore Open and German Open.
Previous member of the Badminton Victoria Junior Committee.
Would ultimately like to combine previous studies in sport science and law to aid in progressing badminton in Victoria, as well as promote technical officiating as an alternative way of showing continuous support for the sport.

Bhavi DESAI

Board Member (since July 2019)

Member of the Bacchus Marsh Badminton Club
A social player who enjoys competition, has played numerous veterans tournaments.
Grassroots development and community engagement at all levels in ensuring his local club build towards a sustainable future for badminton in the area which includes Melton, Caroline Springs and Ravenhall.
experience in the sales and marketing industry having fulfilled a range of executive management roles with Public Transport Victoria, BP Australia and GNC Group consulting.
Committed to providing support in the development of a high-performance culture for players of all ages and the State Teams.
Driving collaboration and developing relationships with diverse communities is a passion for him, to listen to the challenges and successes of members to create a sustainable solution and provide guidance to the Board in assisting to grow our sport at the grassroots level.

Pierce LUCAS

Board Member (since April 2021)

Australian Solicitor
Previous Board member – Whitehorse Young Achiever Council
Previous Managing Director – Intern agency
Legal Volunteering – Epping, Heidelberg, Women’s shelters
Commerce Degree
Law Degree
Masters of Commercial Law
20 years badminton playing experience
Youth competitions for Badminton Victoria
Currently plays in Grade 1 competition at Mountain District Badminton Association (MDBA) and Premier A competition at Diamond Valley Badminton Association (DVBA)
“I have taken so much from badminton across this country for the better part of 2 decades, however, I am yet to give anything back. My grandpa Pat Murray served BV with distinguish while my mum gave 20 years to developing youth still playing today. My father dominated the halls of MDBA. In my mind, it’s now my turn to cast off the reputation of my family for doing good and make my own. To personally add to the development of this great game. Having already met the board, I believe I can strive in a very positive environment.”

Gillian PATMORE

Board Member (re-appointed since June 2021) & Member of the Performance Committee

Acting State Director from June to November 2020
Former Member of the Junior Committee
Former Junior Selector
Currently a member of the Australia Junior High-Performance Committee.
Began playing badminton at the age of 10 in Geelong.
Represented Victoria in all age groups over the course of approx. 10 years and won Victorian and Australian titles along the way.
Has continued to play badminton and be actively involved in the administration of the sport.
Holds committee positions on the Geelong and Mountain District Badminton Association.
Managed and coached various Victorian junior teams.

Jackie CHEUK

Board Member

Chartered Accountant
CFO of a private family office
Over 20 years experience in finance, strategy and operations working across Melbourne and London
Holds various board positions including Melbourne Golf Park and Mac.Rob Foundation
Has been playing badminton for 20 years both socially and competitively
"By leveraging my experience in finance, risk management and planning and forecasting, I wish to help Badminton Victoria with their strategic objectives and improve their financial performance, ultimately furthering Badminton Victoria;s growth and success"

Badminton Victoria Staff

Clint Proctor

Chief Executive Officer

Governance
Business
Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships
Coach Education
High Performance
Community Development

Clint’s experience extends to working with the Alcohol & Drug Foundation and AFL Tasmania, where he developed strong relationships with local governments and community groups. In his most recent role as the National Manager for the Good Sports program, Australia’s largest running health initiative, Clint was responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality resources to over 11,000 clubs nationwide. His role involved managing the program’s budget, refining its framework, and aligning the program with procedures and funding requirements.

In addition to his managerial and strategic skills, Clint has extensive coaching and leadership experience with prominent football clubs such as the Hawthorn Football Club, Box Hill Hawks, and Carlton Football Club. He excelled in designing and implementing practice scenarios, collaborating with senior coaches, and achieving shared objectives. Clint’s involvement with the ‘Check-Me’ mental health app allowed him to monitor player well-being and take appropriate action.

Varshana Kumara Swamy

Community Engagement Manager

Participation and Inclusion Development
Government-funded Programs
Media and Communications
Merchandise

Varshana, besides holding a Master in Business degree in Sports Management, is a very experienced sports development officer & administrator. She has worked for Sport North East and has been president of the Deakin University Badminton Association. She comes with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in supporting sports development programs, and managing all forms of communications and social media platforms. Varshana also has a very strong background and understanding of the challenges and opportunities for badminton in regional Victoria where she has been based for the last few years.

Badminton is Varshana’s sport of choice which she has played since she was a child and still plays now. She is very passionate about Badminton and wants to see it grow not just in Victoria or Australia, but throughout the world. Varshana believes that the impact playing badminton has on the lives of people both physically and mentally is worth all the effort it takes to master it.

Nick PETTITT

Member Services Manager

Member Services
Tournaments and Events

Nick comes to Badminton Victoria with 25+ years of customer service experience in the airline industry and has played a key role in the growth of the Melbourne Smashers Badminton Club.

Nick’s focus is customer-oriented. He is passionate about delivering customer service and supporting our members with a range of new initiatives.

Vountus Indra

Badminton Victoria Head Coach

Senior State Squad Coach
Former Coach at Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM)
Former Malaysian representative player
Runner Up in Men’s Doubles at the Asian Junior Championships
Winner of 3 international Men’s Doubles titles

Melanie HEATHCOTE

Accounts Manager (part-time)

Budget development
Accounts payable
Accounts receivable

Ian Bridge

Abilities Coordinator

Support our Inclusive Vision for Badminton and Para badminton
Support develop of participation pathways for people with disability
Key personnel of the Badminton Abilities Junior Project in partnership with VicHealth JumpStart!

Ross SMITH

Junior State Squad Head Coach

Junior State Squad Head Coach responsible for the overall implementation of the junior state squad performance program
Mentors the Under 19 and Under 17 Junior players in the State Performance Program
Ross is a former Australian representative player, 2 x Olympian, 4 x Commonwealth Games representative
4 x Oceania Champion and holds more than 12 International titles
Coach at Play Badminton
Coach at Maribyrnong Sports Academy

Vee-Vian CHONG

Junior (U13/U15) & Para State Performance Squad Coach

State Para Badminton Development Squad Coach
Assists in the Junior Performance Squad training sessions
Co-founder and coach of Westside Badminton
“I was introduced to Badminton when I was 11 years old. After being selected into the Malaysia National Team, I started representing Malaysia in various national and international tournaments. I moved to Melbourne, Australia when I was 19 years old to pursue my higher education and was delighted to find such a significant badminton community. I have had the opportunity to represent Australia in several local, national and international tournaments. Having experienced different training styles in two countries, I have found passion in sharing this experience, skill and knowledge through coaching others from different age groups and have recently established a BV [Member] club called Westside Badminton. With my high level of skill and [a] broad range of techniques, I am hoping to assist Para badminton in reaching the highest level in Australia.”