Kelly Haywood

Kelly Haywood joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1997 as a Combat Systems Operator and Commissioned as a Maritime Logistics Officer in 2005. Kelly served in multiple HMA Ships; deploying to the Middle East three times, performing numerous border protection operations and serving on various peace keeping missions.

Kelly is a mental health advocate and through her initiative ‘Choose to Live, Love your Life’ actively fundraises and speaks in the community about her own personal experiences with suicide and mental health. Kelly won the Western Australian and National Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year Award in 2013 and in 2015 was named as one of Business News 40under40 entrepreneurs, taking out the Intrepreneur category.

Kelly was selected as the Navy Women Strategic Advisor in 2019. In 2021 was awarded the ACT Women and Leadership Australia Women in Excellence Award and in 2022 was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in the Australia Day Honours for her efforts in the role.

Kelly medically separated from Navy in 2023 and now lives in Tasmania with her husband; Dean and their sons Jake and Ned. Along with continued mental health advocacy, Kelly now gives back to the community in other ways, including a part time role with a not-for-profit. Most importantly she is spending more time with her young boys and practicing some long overdue self-care.