“The best decisions are taken when a diverse range of opinions are taken into consideration, and having women in key industry roles is an essential factor in that.”

HerStory meets Áine Power, Deputy Legal Director for the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). She is an Irish qualified lawyer based in Lausanne, working in sports law for 13 years.

AUTHENTICITY IN LEADERSHIP

“It is important that the industry leadership both reflects and represents the “product,” thereby ensuring authenticity.”

THE POWER OF SPORT

“I was lucky enough to be working for the International Boxing Association in the Excel Arena during the London 2012 Olympic Games when Katie Taylor became the first Irish woman to win an Olympic Gold medal. To see so many Irish people, many of them men, travel over and make so much noise for an Irish sportswoman is something that will stay with me forever. The power of that story was about a nation uniting behind a sports woman and it changed how the country viewed women’s sports.”

AN EARLY SPORTING MEMORY

“I remember being brought to the All Ireland Hurling Final in Dublin by my father when I was about 10 years old. There were about 70,000 people there and I didn’t have a ticket, but he managed to charm the guy at the entrance and I got lifted over the turnstile. Our team won and I still remember the final whistle. I think he knew from an early stage how much I loved sport and has always supported me, even when I dropped the bombshell that I was leaving my safe and secure job as a corporate lawyer to pursue a career in sport.”