About Us
empowering a strong wellness industry in australasia
Vision
We see a world where healthy lifestyles are the norm, and prevention is embraced over cure.
Mission
We strive to empower the Wellness Industry to become the primary promoter of wellbeing and healthy lifestyle in Australasia, through our five pillars of unity, quality, advocacy, growth and sustainability.
Our Pillars
UNITY
Enjoy the camaraderie of a strong network uniting spa, beauty, allied health, fitness, functional medicine, complementary & alternative medicine, mental health, corporate health and all wellness-related modalities to deliver better outcomes for all.
QUALITY
Be your best. Participate in cross-modality sharing, benchmarking and learning to co-create best practice for the benefit of your clients, staff & business.
ADVOCACY
Protect and enhance your rights. We act as one strong voice to represent the interests of Wellness business owners to both the public and private sectors.
GROWTH
Grow your business. Leverage our networks and the community’s combined resources to create opportunities for innovation, promotion and growth.
SUSTAINABILITY
Take the lead, and be an employer of choice. We help wellness businesses achieve greater success by doing good for both people and planet.
Our Story
ASWELL was born in 2005 as the Australasian Spa Association (ASPA). Championed by a dynamic group of industry leaders, ASPA led the rapidly growing spa industry through its halcyon days, creating a close-knit community whose members benefited as much personally as they did professionally from the joyful camaraderie, shared learning and business growth.
As the nature of Spa evolved to include more holistic and medical services, so did the focus of the association. In 2014, it was renamed the Australasian Spa & Wellness Association. In 2015 the reference to Spa was dropped and the Australasian Wellness Association, nicknamed ‘ASWELL’, was born.
The association was dormant 2016 – 2021, as is often the fate of nonprofit trade associations run by volunteers. The spirit is willing, but time is limited!
The mantle of leadership was picked up again in 2021 by Samantha Dunn – a wellness consultant returning to Australia after 20 years’ working in Asia. As a specialist in integrated wellness, Sam was keen to reconnect with the Australasian industry, but struggled to find a wide-reaching organisation to connect to.
As Wellness has catapulted from niche to the mainstream, there is constant reference to the Wellness ‘Industry’. However this implies a unity that – until now – has not existed. We operate in silos: beauty talks to beauty; fitness to fitness. Holistic health and medical modalities each have strong and active associations, but they operate in very different worlds.
Our clients use all of our services, at various times to meet various needs. As a result they often know more about other modalities than we do, as wellness professionals. If we are to offer the best service and best results, through customer / client / patient-centred care, it makes sense that we work together.
This is the goal of ASWELL:
To create a forum in which all of the various wellness modalities come together to share and learn current best practice and collaborate to create opportunities.
Our People
Directors
Samantha Dunn | PRESIDENT
A 20+ year veteran of the spa & wellness industry, Sam has spent most of that time involved in not-for-profits. She was a founding board member of associations in Thailand, Singapore and China, and in 2006 led a team to found the Asia-Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition (APSWC), which united and nurtured associations from 17 countries. Sam has been awarded three times for industry leadership.
Having returned from Asia to Australia in 2019, Sam is committed to helping the Australasian industry thrive.
Vanessa Main | STRATEGY
Vanessa is Director at The Loft Studio – a company created to deliver sophisticated education and commercial performance strategies to the spa, beauty and wellness industry.
Vanessa is a specialist in Commercial Spa Operations and the creation of signature Spa Brands for hospitality groups – including Hilton Worldwide, for whom she oversaw 60+ locations. She has worked extensively across Asia Pacific, Australia, Maldives and the Middle East overseeing new spa developments and ensuring that the businesses deliver sustainable growth, strong commercial returns, brand consistency and integrity.
Alexandra Finley | CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
A corporate and commercial lawyer for over 25 years, Alex has advised on corporate strategy, risk management and governance, corporate and commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and sustainability, corporate affairs and investor relations, regulation, property and workplace relations across a variety of sectors.
Alex is a deeply experienced not-for-profit director. She is Chair of children’s charity Rainbow Club Australia and Chair of Macarthur Family and Youth Services. She is also a Board member of Redfern Legal Centre.
Sudharma Hiremath | FINANCE
Strategic leader specialising in corporate governance, risk, compliance and assurance programs within Public and Not-for-Profit sectors. Over 19 years’ experience across various industries, including hospitality management and consulting for the spa & wellness industry across two continents.
Sudharma is Ayurvedic doctor who also holds PG Dip in Applied Corporate Governance (Australia), qualifying as a Company Secretary, an Executive MBA (Switzerland). His focus is to build commercial value, business benefit, and relationships to influence stakeholders at all levels.
Volunteer Opportunities
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