Australia’s leading sexual and reproductive healthcare organisation today announced the appointment of health and fitness expert Maria Deveson Crabbe as CEO.
Ms Deveson Crabbe said that she was excited to take on the role and lead the organisation in providing access to vital sexual healthcare services around the country.
“I strongly believe that every woman has the right to children by choice, not chance, so I’m delighted to be joining an organisation where this is a priority,” Ms Deveson Crabbe said.
“Marie Stopes International combines passion, professionalism, courage and tremendous dedication to meeting the reproductive needs and rights of women and men throughout the world.
“The organisation’s dedicated team members choose this line of work because they are humanitarians and believe in choice and access to services for all.
“To work with such people will be an honour, and I look forward to contributing to the direction of the organisation over the coming months and years.
“In my role as CEO, my priorities are to increase access to high quality sexual health services for every Australian, to help reduce the rate of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and to improve sex education for young people.
“I also hope to see in the very near future abortion decriminalised in all states and territories, readily available access to RU486 and the stigma surrounding sexual health issues lifted.
“We have many challenges ahead in the reproductive health space and I will be striving to overcome them.”
Maria Deveson Crabbe began her career in the health and fitness industry in 1987 when she launched modeling agency Aussie Bodies Sports. At a time when anorexia was the industry standard, Aussie Bodies Sports promoted the idea that athleticism could be a desirable body shape.
As a result of this interest in the interaction between nutrition, physical performance and emotional wellbeing, Maria founded Aussie Bodies in 1992. The company is now Australia's leading protein food supplement developer, creating innovative products consumed by thousands of Australians every day.
Maria is also author of Your Body Your Life (Hodder Headline 2002). Rated by the Sunday Age as ‘one of the five best health books', Your Body Your Life is part autobiography, part health manual, providing an insight into the basics of nutrition.
Maria is currently Chair of Marie Stopes International Australia’s Board, and will commence the position of CEO for Marie Stopes International’s Australian operations in June 2009.
