Women in High Performance Sport – How the Principles of Elite Sport Drive Business Success.

NetworkIrlande and The Embassy of Ireland in France were delighted to welcome about 70 attendees to the final event of St. Brigid’s season at the Embassy in Paris on Thursday February 26th. Sincere thanks to Ecocem for sponsoring us and to Managing Director, Conor O’Riain for moderating the panel: Women in High Performance Sport – How the Principles of Elite Sport Drive Business Success.

 

The evening opened with a welcome address from His Excellency Mr. Niall Burgess, Ambassador of Ireland to France who spoke to the importance of Saint Brigid, and of women in Irish society and in sport. Ms. Orla Noonan, Vice President of Network Irlande welcomed the panel and drew parallels between the skills developed in sport and training and those necessary for success in business. 

 

Conor O'Riain brought forth the importance of visible role models, some  eye-watering statistics on women dropping out of high-level sports at a young age and asked the panel questions about their experiences and challenges. What followed from the talented panelists was an inspiring and entertaining insight into some of the challenges in their chosen sporting field and where they see the sport developing going forward. The GAA in France is going from strength to strength, and France is the place to be if you wish to make your name in the highly competitive world of sailing. Sincere thank you to our three panelists:  

• Pamela Lee, Skipper, EmpowHer Ripple Racing
• Mairead Malone, France Irish GAA Football
• Maud Pradella, Paris Gaels GAA Camogie

During the networking cocktail, many new connections were forged and the conversation focussed on the discipline, resilience and teamwork that translate directly into leadership and business.

Many thanks to the always professional Embassy team for making the evening such a success and to our members and friends for coming along and taking part.