IAG National Manager of New Markets Helen Nott has been appointed to the board of the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC).

Ms Nott told insuranceNEWS.com.au she believes she was chosen because of her passion for the community and her background in strategy and risk.

“My vision has long been to help people see each other ‘at face value’ and help facilitate an acceptance of others, their circumstances, their perspectives and their lives,” she said.

Ms Nott joins the board along with former News Ltd CEO John Hartigan, Geelong Football Club GM People and Culture Rosie King and PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Jock O’Callaghan.

The board’s diversification is part of a bid to avoid the financial problems experienced around the London 2012 Paralympics, before the campaign for the Rio Paralympics next year.

“Raising the required funds is a huge task,” Ms Nott said. “The APC is a registered charity and must raise funds to meet the millions of dollars it costs to prepare and deliver the Australian Paralympic team to Rio.

“I am really excited about applying my expertise and experience to make a difference in the community. It is both humbling and a privilege to be given this opportunity.”

Ms Nott says she has been interested in Paralympic member sports since watching a game of goalball – a sport for blind athletes – at university.

“Paralympians are amazing people. They are elite athletes, but they also have exceptional mental resilience and determination.”

Ms Nott says she is grateful to IAG in helping her secure her first board appointment.

Since London 2012 the Australian Sports Commission has been working closely with the APC on governance reform, and recently gave the committee a funding injection of $3.5 million.