Dr Fiona Chambers is one of Ireland’s most influential voices in sport innovation, leadership development and the future of sport participation. As a senior academic at University College Cork (UCC) and a recognised global thought leader, she has dedicated her career to exploring how sport can drive social change, community development and human wellbeing.
Fiona serves as Director of the Sport and Sustainability Research Group at UCC and has held multiple leadership roles within the university, including Head of the School of Education, where she helped shape progressive approaches to teaching, coaching and educational policy. Her work is grounded in the belief that sport is not simply a performance arena, but a powerful catalyst for inclusion, creativity and societal transformation.
She is widely known for leading teamOS, the global sport “hackathon” initiative that brought together thousands of participants across more than 60 countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. The project harnessed innovation, collaboration and design thinking to address challenges facing sport, earning international recognition for its impact, scale and engagement. The initiative demonstrated Fiona’s unique ability to convene diverse voices, inspire creative problem-solving and build communities of practice around the future of sport.
Her expertise extends far beyond academia. Fiona sits on numerous international advisory boards, contributes to global sport policy conversations, and regularly collaborates with national governing bodies, clubs and industry partners. Her work centres on the intersections of sport, sustainability, equity, coaching, education and leadership, with a particular focus on empowering women and girls in sport.
Known for her energy, curiosity and collaborative approach, Dr Fiona Chambers is shaping the next chapter of sport — locally, nationally and globally. Through teaching, research, innovation and advocacy, she continues to influence how sport is delivered, understood and valued, ensuring that it remains a powerful force for wellbeing, community and human connection.
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Previously Listed
Dr Una May, Moira Aston, Mary O’Connor, Michelle Carpenter, Brenda O’Donnell, Sarah Keane, Karen Coventry, Michelle Tanner, Mary McAleese, Rosie Barry, Sinead Hosey, Laura Heffernan, Jacqui Hurley, Aoife Lane, Tracy Bunyan, Lisa Clancy, Aoife Clarke, Thelma O’Driscoll, Catherine Tiernan, Helen O’Rourke, Niamh Tallon, Julie Nicholson, Aisling O’Reilly, Evanne Ní Chuilinn, Avalon Everett, Ashley Morrow, Eimear O’Sullivan, Kelli O’Keeffe, Sarah O’Connor, Jill Downey, Ger McTavish, Aifric Keogh, Rebecca Trevor, Lyn Savage, Suzanne Eade, Joanna Byrne, Bethany Carson, Lynne Cantwell, Christina Kenny, Sinead Cassidy, Nicola Coffey, Orlaith Ryan
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This is the 13th edition of the Sport for Business listing of 50 Women of Influence in Irish Sport in partnership once more with our friends at AIG.
We began this journey in 2013, when we were challenged to produce a list of 20 Influential Women in Irish Sport. The 20 stretched to 30, then 40 and 50, and it still does not do justice to the talent out there.
Substantial progress has been made during this time. The Government, mindful of the importance and need for gender equity, challenged Irish sporting bodies to achieve a 60/40 gender split on their main boards or leadership entities by the end of 2023
Internationally, the gender split in doctors ranges from 46 per cent female in New Zealand to 48 per cent in the UK, 52 per cent in France, and 54 per cent in the United States. Sport has, for too long, lagged.
The gender gap in participation is targeted to be non-existent by 2027, and the profile of our elite athletes is as high for Katie Taylor, Katie McCabe, Rhasidat Adeleke and Leona Maguire as it is for the best of our men.
We are nearing the point where sport is sport regardless of gender.
The gap remains too big in media, sponsorship, attendance, and funding, but it is only by highlighting the wrongs that we can make them right.
This year’s list will again draw from all the multiple areas that make up sport. From the fields of play to the corridors of power, from the boardroom to the studio, and from every corner of the country.
We will divide the list into the CEO Club, the Influencers, and the Sponsors Lounge. the Administrators and others
This year, once again, we will challenge ourselves to generate at least 40 per cent of new entrants to ensure that fresh recognition is given to those making a mark.
This will mean some who fully deserve to remain stepping aside but that is part of what influence and leadership is about and they are in no way diminished by their not being on the list this year.
The list we will build over the coming weeks is a snapshot of women who are changing the way 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.
Recognition of their contribution is rarely asked for but is entirely deserved, and we want your help in identifying those who you feel should be among them.
So, who else do you think should be on the list for 2025?
Image Credit: Sport for Business
Further Reading for Sport for Business members:
Read our Sport for Business Coverage of Women in Sport
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