MARY O’CONNOR

 

Mary O’Connor is the CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport.

She sits on the Sports Leadership Group that is monitoring the implementation of the National Sports Policy and is the conduit through which sport’s voice can sometimes be heard in the most effective way by the Government.

Heading up the representative body for over 100 National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships requires patience, determination and a good way with people which she has demonstrated since taking up the role at the end of 2017.

Since stepping into the role in December 2017 O’Connor has led the way in relation to support for the 20X20 campaign, the revival of the Volunteer in Sport and Sport Industry awards and the implementation of the National Sports Policy.

She represented her native Cork with great distinction both in Camogie and Ladies’ Football winning a total of 12 All-Ireland medals over a 16-year dual inter-county career.

She was captain of the 2009 Cork Ladies Football team that completed five titles in a row. An All-Star in both codes she was Player of the Year in 2006.

In 2018 she joined the Advisory Board of the Dublin City Council Sport and Wellbeing Partnership where we have worked alongside her and seen at close quarters what an intelligent and committed advocate she is for sport in all its forms.

 

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This is the tenth edition of our Sport for Business listing of 50 Women of Influence in Irish Sport.

Read more about the list and nominate who you think should be a part of it in 2022.

We are proud to do so again this year with AIG, an organisation that has pledged its commitment to equality in its partnerships with Gaelic Games, Tennis, Golf and more, for whom “Effort is Equal” and with whom we have ambitious plans to extend the reach of this annual celebration of the Women who are making a difference.

This year’s list will be drawn as before from the worlds of leadership, partnership, storytelling and performance.

We began this journey in 2013 when challenged that we would never be able to produce a list of twenty Influential Women in Irish Sport. The 20 stretched to 30, then 40 and 50 and it still does not do justice to the talent that is out there.

This year once more, to keep things fresh we will introduce at least 30 per cent of fresh names from last year. That will be the hardest part to have some names replaced but if it was too easy it would be of less value.

The list we will build over the coming weeks is a snapshot of those women who are making a mark on how sport is played, consumed, grown and delivered.

They are part of making the role of women in sport unexceptional by being exceptional in what they do.