Suzanne Eade has been Chief Executive Officer of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) since November 2021, becoming the first woman to lead the body responsible for the governance, development and promotion of horse-racing across the island of Ireland.
Her appointment followed a successful tenure as HRI’s Chief Financial Officer, a post she held from 2015. In that capacity she managed one of the largest expenditure accounts in Irish sport, overseeing capital investment plans for major racecourses, financial operations, budgeting and stakeholder funding distribution.
Before joining HRI, Suzanne built a broad and varied career in the private sector — including senior finance roles with multinational companies such as Procter & Gamble and as Finance Director at Boots Ireland.
In these roles she gained deep experience in treasury, audit, financial planning and global business operations — skills that she has translated into the complex financial and regulatory environment of Irish racing.
As CEO of HRI, Suzanne’s remit spans the full spectrum of responsibilities: from race programming and prize-money allocation to media and data-rights negotiation, oversight of the Tote betting operation, management of HRI-owned racecourses, and ensuring regulatory compliance and integrity services.
Known for her steady leadership and willingness to tackle difficult issues, she has steered HRI through a challenging period — including regulatory scrutiny, economic headwinds, and significant structural changes to media-rights and financing models. She has frequently emphasised transparency, fairness and long-term sustainability for racing across Ireland.
*************
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
*************
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
SPORT FOR BUSINESS Upcoming Events
December 9th – Our 12th Annual Women in Sport Conference in partnership with Lidl.
January 2026 – The Sporting Year Ahead 2026 in partnership with Teneo – Launching Soon
Sport for Business Podcasts
MEMBERSHIP AND EVENT,
The Olympic Federation of Ireland and Rowing Ireland, together with over 40 National Governing Bodies of Sport in Ireland, as well as all the leading sporting and business organisations in and around the world of sport, are among the 300+ members of the Sport for Business community.
This includes all of the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, individuals interested in our world, and an increasing number from beyond these shores taking a keen interest in Ireland.
Find out more about becoming a member today.
Or sign up for our twice-daily bulletins to get a flavour of the material we cover.
Sign up for our News Bulletins here.
