Management Team

WADA Leadership Team

Olivier Niggli

Director General

Olivier Niggli

Director General

Effective July 2016, Olivier Niggli assumed the role of Director General.

Olivier possesses extensive international experience in the anti-doping industry; particularly, in the areas of legal, finance and governance. He started his legal career with Carrard & Associés in Lausanne (Switzerland), where WADA was his client.

In 2002, Oliver first joined WADA as the Agency’s Legal Director to which he added the title of Finance Director in 2004. In 2011, Olivier returned to Carrard & Associés as partner, where his practice focused on sport, arbitration and commercial law. In 2014, Olivier returned to WADA as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of WADA.

Olivier holds a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics (England) and a Master of Business Administration from McGill University, in Montreal (Canada).
René Bouchard

Senior Director, Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships

René Bouchard

Senior Director, Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships

Effective September 2016, René Bouchard joined WADA as Advisor, Government Relations.

Prior to joining WADA, René was engaged in external roles with the Agency. He was Canada’s representative on the Agency’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board; and delegate of the Canadian Minister of Sport. René was also Chair of WADA’s Education Committee; WADA’s Independent Observer Mission for the London 2012 Olympic Games; and, the founding Chair of the Agency’s Compliance Review Committee (CRC).

Prior to joining WADA, René held various roles with the Canadian Government, including Director General of International Affairs with the Department of Canadian Heritage, which oversees Canadian Culture and Sports. He was Director General of Copyright Policy and Legislation, and later, Director General of Broadcasting Policy and Legislation. He began his career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

René has a bachelor’s degree in economic sciences from the University of Sherbrooke (Canada) and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa (Canada).
Dao Chung

Chief Financial Officer

Dao Chung

Chief Financial Officer

Effective July 2018, Dao Chung joined WADA as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Dao has over 25 years of experience in management, business, and financial operations. Prior to joining WADA, she was Controller of Operations for FPInnovations – a non-profit research organization in the forestry industry; and, prior to that, she held the position of Director, Business Planning and Analysis at SAP Canada.

Throughout her career, Dao has held various roles in management and financial operations including financial analysis; investment opportunities, budget and forecast planning; internal control; business process; and policies review and implementation in different industries.

Dao is a Certified Management Accountant (CPA, CMA) and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance and marketing from the Hautes Études Commerciales, in Montreal (Canada).
María José Pesce Cutri

Director, Latin America Office

María José Pesce Cutri

Director, Latin America Office

Effective March 2010, María José Pesce Cutri joined WADA as Director, Latin America Office, in Montevideo (Uruguay).

Prior to joining WADA, María José served for five years as the Director of the International Cooperation Office of Uruguay’s Sport Ministry.

A certified physical education teacher, she also holds a degree in international relations from the Law School of the Universidad de la República, in Montevideo. She also completed graduate studies in “International Cooperation Projects” at the Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos, in Madrid (Spain).

María José is a former hurdler on the Uruguayan National Athletics team, received a scholarship from the Blake School, in Minneapolis (USA), for her senior year of high school.
Frédéric Donzé (1972-2022)

Chief Operating Officer

Frédéric Donzé (1972-2022)

Chief Operating Officer

Tribute to Frédéric Donzé

It was with great sadness that, on 16 August 2022, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced the passing of its Chief Operating Officer (COO), Frédéric Donzé. Fred died suddenly on 15 August, following a short illness, in Montreal, Canada, at the age of 50.

WADA President Witold Bańka said: “This is an incredibly sad time for everyone who knew Frédéric Donzé. I am certain that the global anti-doping community joins WADA in conveying our most sincere condolences to Fred’s family at this tragic time. Fred was an integral part of the Agency. His knowledge of all aspects of anti-doping and sport in general, coupled with his passion and drive to deliver real results for athletes, will leave a massive gap in our organization. Beyond his contribution to anti-doping, it is his humanity, sense of humor and gregarious nature that we will all miss most.”

WADA Director General, Olivier Niggli, said: “For 20 years, Fred was key to the life and soul of WADA. His tremendous work ethic, intelligence and authenticity made him an inspiration to his colleagues and a source of great confidence for athletes and everyone involved in anti-doping around the world. His passing is a devastating blow to all of us who had the great fortune to know him, work alongside him and call him our friend.”

Fred joined WADA in 2002 in the role of Media Relations and Communications Manager. In 2011, he became Director of WADA’s Europe Office and International Federation Relations, in Lausanne, before being appointed COO in 2016. Prior to joining WADA, Fred was a journalist in his native Switzerland, including sports editor of the Geneva-based newspaper, Le Temps.
Sébastien Gillot

Director, European Office and Sport Movement Relations

Sébastien Gillot

Director, European Office and Sport Movement Relations

Effective August 2018, Sébastien Gillot joined WADA as Director, European Office and Sport Movement Relations (previously International Federation Relations).

Prior to joining WADA, Sébastien was Head of Communications for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Before the UCI, he held numerous communications and stakeholder engagement roles in the sports industry; most notably, as Director of Public Relations and Communications for the International Boxing Association (AIBA); Manager of Communications for the Annecy 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Bid Committee; Editor-in-Chief at the Global Sports Forum Barcelona (2011) with Havas Sports & Entertainment; Lead Editor of FIFA.com with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA); and Communications Coordinator for the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club.

Sébastien holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the ICS Bégué (France) and a master’s in communications and journalism from the Institut Supérieur des Médias de Paris (France).
Kazuhiro Hayashi

Director, Asia/Oceania Office

Kazuhiro Hayashi

Director, Asia/Oceania Office

Effective November 2003, Kazuhiro Hayashi joined WADA as Director, Asia/Oceania Office.

Prior to joining WADA, Kazuhiro worked for the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology where he gained international experience in sports and health education policies. He served as Councilor in the Council for Science & Technology Policy at the Cabinet Office, where he established a strong network with high-level government officials in Japan and other Asian countries.

Kazuhiro also worked for the Japanese delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as First Secretary, where he assisted in developing a strong partnership between the Japanese Government and the OECD. He then had a role as Planning Director for the Sports and Physical Education Bureau where he gained significant experience in sports and anti-doping activities. He was also involved with the Olympic Games in Barcelona (1992) and Lillehammer (1994) as government delegate, and Nagano (1998) as director.

A sprinter in his youth, Kazuhiro is now dedicated to ensuring doping-free sport is achieved throughout the Asia/Oceania Region.
Kevin Haynes

Associate Director, Compliance, Rules and Standards

Kevin Haynes

Associate Director, Compliance, Rules and Standards

Effective August 2021, Kevin Haynes assumed the role of Associate Director, Compliance, Rules and Standards.

Kevin joined WADA in 2015 as Senior Manager, Standards and Harmonization; and, was subsequently named Deputy Director, Standards and Harmonization, where he was involved in developing the Agency’s compliance monitoring program.

Prior to joining WADA, Kevin worked with the UK National Anti-Doping Organization from where he held a number of roles before becoming the Head of Testing. In 2010, Kevin joined the London Organizing Committee of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) as Deputy Manager of the Anti-Doping team; and, delivered the then largest anti-doping program for the 2012 Games. He also worked as Anti-Doping Manager for the English Football Association; and, was a member of WADA’s Outreach team for the 2006 Paralympic Games in Turin and the Agency’s Independent Observer team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

A keen sportsman in football and tennis, Kevin graduated from Loughborough University (England) with a Bachelor of Science Joint honors degree in sports science, physical education and geography.
Amanda Hudson

Director, Education

Amanda Hudson

Director, Education

Effective August 2019, Amanda Hudson joined WADA as Director, Education.

Prior to joining WADA, Amanda was Head of Education at United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD), where she led their education strategy, making clean athletes her top priority and supporting UKAD’s aim to protect clean sport. She also represented the UK on the Advisory Group on Education that supports the Council of Europe’s Monitoring Group of the Anti-Doping Convention; and, was a member of WADA’s Education Committee.

Amanda’s focus has always been to harness the power of education. Starting her professional career as a teacher in the post-compulsory education sector, she then transitioned to her other passion – sport. She has delivered national strategies that impact culture and create sustainable change by unifying stakeholders in a common direction in a range of fields; sports coaching, workforce development and training and over the last decade, anti-doping.

After studying sports science and physiology at the undergraduate level, Amanda completed a postgraduate certificate in education at the University of Huddersfield (England), qualifying as a teacher in the post-compulsory education sector.
Angela Iannantuono

Director, Human Resources and Corporate Services

Angela Iannantuono

Director, Human Resources and Corporate Services

Effective July 2021, Angela Iannantuono assumed the role of Director, Human Resources and Corporate Services.

Angela first joined WADA in 2002 as Manager, Human Resources and Corporate Services; was later promoted to Senior Manager Services in 2009; and, to Chief Administrative Officer in 2012.

Angela has over 30 years of experience in human resources and corporate/administrative services and has held various human resources roles at Emerson Power Systems, Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), and Ready Bake Foods/La Baguetterie (division of George Weston Limited).

Angela has a profound love for sport and played rugby for Bishop’s University, in Lennoxville (Canada), while she studied psychology. Angela also trained and competed as a bodybuilder and has a passion for kickboxing and languages.
Stuart Kemp

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Stuart Kemp

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Effective January 2020, Stuart Kemp assumed the role of Deputy Chief Operating Officer, overseeing WADA’s impact areas, including athlete engagement, and acts as the management liaison for WADA’s Athlete Committee and Ethics Advisory Expert Group.

Stuart joined WADA in 2006 as Testing Manager and has held a number of different roles since that time. Prior to joining WADA, Stuart was Senior Manager of Testing at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).

Stuart holds a combined honors bachelor’s degree of arts in political science and international development studies from Dalhousie University, in Halifax (Canada), and a Master of Arts in human kinetics from the University of Ottawa (Canada). Stuart was a collegiate swimmer at the National level during these studies.
Francisco León

Head of Program Development

Francisco León

Head of Program Development

Effective July 2021, Francisco León assumed the role of Head of Program Development.

Effective July 2021, Francisco León assumed the role of Head of Program Development. Francisco joined WADA in 2016 as Manager in the NADO/RADO Relations department, before becoming Senior Manager within the same department in 2019.

Prior to joining WADA, Francisco was Director of Sport Development and Recreation at the Peruvian Sport Ministry (IPD) from 2014 to 2016, where he was also Vice President of the National Anti-Doping Organization. During this period, Francisco also taught Sports Management courses at the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences. Prior to joining the IPD, from 2012 to 2014 he was Lead Sports and Curriculum Adviser for the Peruvian Ministry of Education.

Francisco has an undergraduate in psychology from the University of the Incarnate Word, in San Antonio (USA), where he graduated Cum Laude and was National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American. He then completed a master’s degree at the same university in Sports Science and Kinesiology; and, a PhD in International Entrepreneurship, where he wrote a dissertation on the factors that affect World Anti-Doping Code compliance.

Francisco is a lifelong athlete and pole vaulter -- an event in which he holds the Peruvian national record.
Catherine MacLean

Director, Communications

Catherine MacLean

Director, Communications

Effective December 2014, Catherine MacLean joined WADA as Director, Communications.

Prior to joining WADA, Catherine had spent 25 years in the metals and mining industry, first with the former Alcan, a global leader in aluminum and packaging, and then with Rio Tinto, an international metals and mining company. Catherine later operated her own communications consultancy serving a variety of clients including the former London Mining in support of its iron ore operations in Sierra Leone.

Catherine has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Concordia University and a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from McGill University, both in Montreal (Canada).

A competitive swimmer in her youth, Catherine is happy to be with an organization that is committed to fair play in sports.
Marc-André Matton

Chief Technology Officer

Marc-André Matton

Chief Technology Officer

Effective February 2020, Marc-André Matton joined WADA as Chief Technology Officer.

Marc-André has over 18 years of experience in information technology (IT) operations, with an emphasis on large-scale project delivery, organizational development and product delivery. Prior to joining WADA, he held various management positions with major business consulting, media, telecommunications, and software development organizations, where he oversaw, among other things: digital transformation, strategy, security, data, architecture and maintenance of complex enterprise application solutions supporting major operations and online platforms.

Marc-André holds a degree in computer science from Université du Québec, in Hull (Canada). He is an avid mountain and road cyclist, runner and hiker.
Tom May

Director, NADO/RADO Relations

Tom May

Director, NADO/RADO Relations

Effective January 2019, Tom May assumed the role of Director, NADO/RADO Relations.

Tom has over 20 years of experience across all areas of anti-doping. He joined WADA in January 2004 as Manager, Doping Control Policy and Development. He was subsequently promoted to the position of Senior Manager, Program Development in 2010; and, to Deputy Director, NADO/RADO Relations in 2014.

Prior to joining WADA, Tom spent five years at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), where he served in various roles related to national and international activities.

Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of New Brunswick (Canada) and a graduate diploma in sports administration from Concordia University, in Montreal (Canada).
Rafal Piechota

Director, Office of the President

Rafal Piechota

Director, Office of the President

Effective January 2020, Rafal Piechota joined WADA as Director of the Office of the President, in Warsaw (Poland).

Prior to assuming his role at WADA, Rafal was Deputy Director in the office of the Minister of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Poland – a Ministry with which he held various key roles (2007-2019).

Rafal has been very involved with WADA and anti-doping for a number of years, including as Deputy Member of the WADA Executive Committee, and as Member of the Agency’s Finance and Administration Committee. He also acted as Vice Chair, and then Chair, of the Ad Hoc European Committee for the World Anti-Doping Agency (CAHAMA).

Rafal has a master’s degree in Law from Nicolaus Copernicus University, in Torun (Poland).
Dr. Olivier Rabin

Senior Director, Science and Medicine

Dr. Olivier Rabin

Senior Director, Science and Medicine

Effective July 2021, Dr. Olivier Rabin assumed the role of Senior Director, Science and Medicine. In this capacity, Dr. Rabin oversees the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (List), the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), the areas of scientific research, medical, and anti-doping laboratories, while also establishing international partnerships in the fields of science and medicine.

Olivier joined WADA as Science Director in 2002 and was later named Executive Director, Science and International Partnerships.

Over the years, Olivier has established an international reputation as an expert in pharmaceutical research and development. Prior to joining WADA, he worked for over seven years for IPSEN Pharma, in the United Kingdom and in France, in the fields of research and business development. In this capacity, he was responsible for international development of new medicines and led scientific and medical teams for in-depth assessment of projects.

Prior to his work at IPSEN, Olivier was a principal investigator of research in pharmacology and toxicology for government organizations, including having spent four years at the National Institutes of Health in the United States, where he was responsible for a cerebral ischemia program and development of pharmacological strategies for brain neuroprotection. He also worked at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale in Paris (France).

Over the course of his career, Olivier has been instrumental in establishing partnerships with high profile public or private organizations.

Olivier has a PhD in fundamental and applied toxicology and a degree in biomedical engineering. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and books in anti-doping and emerging drugs in sports.
Tim Ricketts

Director, Testing

Tim Ricketts

Director, Testing

Effective June 2014, Tim Ricketts assumed the role of Director, Testing (previously Standards and Hamonization). The Testing Department is focused on development of global sample collection programs; as well as, ensuring that Anti-Doping Organizations implement their programs in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and International Standard for Testing and Investigations.

Tim first joined WADA in 2013 as Deputy Director, Standards and Hamonization; and, has been involved in development of the Agency’s compliance monitoring program and establishment of the compliance audit program.

Prior to joining WADA, Tim was the first Anti-Doping Manager for the International Federation of Rugby Union based in Dublin (Ireland). He began his career in anti-doping as a chaperone for the Australian National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO); and, later became a Doping Control Officer and a Testing Coordinator employee with the Australian NADO. Tim was seconded to the Organizing Committee for the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta where he was the Anti-Doping Manager. Following the Atlanta Games, he joined the Organizing Committee for the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sydney as an Anti-Doping Manager.

Over the years, Tim has been a member of WADA’s Independent Observer (IO) teams for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the 2010 Tour de France, the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Tim has an undergraduate degree in sports science and sports administration from the University of Canberra (Australia).
Julien Sieveking

Director, Legal Affairs

Julien Sieveking

Director, Legal Affairs

Effective July 2016, Julien Sieveking assumed the role of Director of Legal Affairs.

Julien joined WADA in 2005 as Manager of Legal Affairs and subsequently was promoted to Senior Manager, and later to Chief Legal Manager. Prior to joining WADA, Julien was Disciplinary Counsel for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). He also held roles in major sports or sports-related events.

Multilingual with a law degree from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), Julien specializes in sports law; and, more specifically, in sports litigation. He also holds a master’s degree in sports organizations management from the University Claude Bernard, in Lyon (France) and completed an executive program at McGill University, in Montreal (Canada). Julien also lectures for several sports law master’s programs worldwide.
Rodney Swigelaar

Director, Africa Office

Rodney Swigelaar

Director, Africa Office

Effective November 2004, Rodney Swigelaar joined WADA as Director, Africa Office, in Cape Town (South Africa).

Before joining WADA and following South Africa’s second democratic general elections in 1999, Rodney joined Sport and Recreation South Africa (a government department) and the Ministry of Sport and Recreation as Manager for Parliamentary Relations. During this time, Rodney represented South Africa at numerous WADA Foundation Board and Executive Committee Meetings. He was also the coordinator of the International Intergovernmental Consultative Group on Anti-Doping in Sport (IICGADS) IV Meeting hosted by South Africa, served on the Secretariat of IICGADS, and occupied various coordinating roles in sport on behalf of the South African Government, including the Africa Cup of Nations staged in Mali (2002).

Rodney holds an honors degree in linguistics from the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), where he has also lectured. In 1996, he was appointed as a researcher for the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation in the National Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.
Dr. Alan Vernec

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Alan Vernec

Chief Medical Officer

Effective October 2009, Dr. Alan Vernec joined WADA as Medical Director.

Alan has extensive experience working with athletes of all levels for more than 30 years. He served as team physician for professional and national sports teams, including professional soccer (Major League Soccer), the national teams for athletics (Athletics Canada) and judo (Judo Canada) and was team physician at many international sports events, including three Olympic Games.

Alan is a graduate of the University of California, in San Diego (USA) with a degree in bioengineering as well as from McGill University, in Montreal (Canada) with a degree in medicine. He is passionate about sport and strongly believes that it is instrumental to educate athletes, physicians and other stakeholders on anti-doping principles and processes, so that all athletes, including those with medical conditions, may engage in fair competition.
Ross Wenzel

General Counsel

Ross Wenzel

General Counsel

Effective January 2022, Ross Wenzel joined WADA as General Counsel.

Immediately prior to joining WADA, Ross was a partner at the Swiss law firm Kellerhals Carrard, where he acted as WADA's external counsel for over a decade. During his time with the firm (2010-2021), he handled hundreds of doping-related cases before the Court of Arbitration for Sport for WADA and other international sports organizations; and, is widely recognized as one of the world's leading anti-doping lawyers.

From 2004-2007, Ross practiced as a corporate lawyer at Slaughter and May in London (England); and, from 2008-2010, he worked as in-house counsel with Infront Sports & Media, a leading international sports marketing agency based in Switzerland.

Ross obtained a Congratulatory First in Modern Languages at Oxford University (England) before studying law at BPP Law School in London, where he graduated with distinction. He also graduated with distinction with the FIFA Master (an international master’s in management, law and humanities of sport).
Shannan Withers

Chief of Staff

Shannan Withers

Chief of Staff

Effective July 2021, Shannan Withers assumed the role of Chief of Staff. In this role, she is responsible for WADA’s Governance and Strategy, Innovation & Corporate Development functions.

Shannan joined WADA in 2001 and is the Agency’s longest standing staff member. During her time with WADA, she has served various functions within the Office of the Director General (previously known as the Executive Office); and, has led several key strategic projects.

Prior to joining WADA, in 1997, Shannan was Anti-Doping Program Coordinator for the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sydney (Australia). Following the success of the Games, she was recruited to join WADA in Lausanne (Switzerland) before relocating to Montreal (Canada).

Shannan holds an undergraduate degree in management from the University of Canberra (Australia).
Günter Younger

Director, Intelligence and Investigations

Günter Younger

Director, Intelligence and Investigations

Effective October 2016, Günter Younger joined WADA as Director of Intelligence and Investigations.

Prior to joining WADA, Günter was Head of the Cybercrime Division at the Bavarian Landeskriminalamt (BLKA), in Germany, which he created as the central point of contact for police, State departments and private companies in all cybercrime matters of Bavaria. During this period, in 2015, he was seconded to WADA’s three-person Independent Commission that investigated and exposed widespread doping in Russian athletics.

After graduating from Police Training School in Dachau and Kӧnigsbrunn in 1988, Günter joined the BLKA as an investigator. Over the years, Günter held numerous increasingly senior positions with a particular focus on international investigations; specifically, combating drug trafficking and organized crime.

From 2007 to 2008, Günter served as Deputy Head of the Organized Crime Division of the BLKA; and, in 2006, he was deployed to Europol as an Analyst for Serious Organized Crime. In 2008, Günter was seconded to Interpol´s drug unit, in Lyon (France) where he was swiftly promoted to Team Leader/Coordinator. By the following year, he had assumed responsibility for the organization’s Drugs and Criminal Intelligence Unit (DCIU) and the newly created Anti-Doping section. Upon completion of his term at Interpol, in 2011, he returned to Germany to lead Bavaria’s Counterfeit Currency Unit at the BLKA.

Günter completed postgraduate studies at the Police College of Public Administration in Fürstenfeldbruck (Germany) and at the National Police Staff College in Münster (Germany).