Sabrina Zeender, 49, has been appointed Secretary General of the Fédération Equestre Internationale following a proposal to the FEI Bureau from President Ingmar De Vos which received unanimous support. Zeender, who first joined the FEI in 1991, has been interim Secretary General since De Vos’ election to the presidency on Dec. 14.
Zeender is a Swiss national of Salvadorian, American and Austrian descent. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish and has two sons, 18 and 21. She holds a bachelor’s degree of science in communications and history from Boston University and a diploma in sociology, politics and management of sport science from the Universities of Lausanne, Leicester, and Montpellier.
Zeender has served as FEI Director of Governance and Executive Affairs since 2011. She previously held the positions of human resources, finance & administration coordinator; sports administrator; and manager of the Secretary General’s office. She left the organization briefly in 1995 to work in her family’s business in the United States, returning to the FEI in 1998.
Prior to working for the FEI, Zeender was with Telecom Japan TV Productions in New York and the Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I would like to warmly congratulate Sabrina on her appointment as FEI Secretary General,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos commented. “She is the first woman to hold this key management position in the FEI, and the fact that we have been able to fill such an important position in-house clearly demonstrates that the FEI has grown into a professional organization with a highly qualified team.
“Sabrina’s deep understanding of the FEI rules and regulations, of which she has a long experience, and her knowledge of equestrian sport will be invaluable in her new role, and I would like to thank the FEI Bureau for their full support for this appointment,” he continued. “I proposed Sabrina on the basis of her qualifications but also for her unfailing work ethic, reliability, dedication, and team spirit. The spontaneous and warm applause from the national federations following the announcement at the General Assembly in Baku that Sabrina would take over the post on an interim basis shows the high regard in which she is held. I am confident that Sabrina will do an outstanding job as the new FEI Secretary General.”
“I am honored and humbled by this appointment, and I would like to thank the FEI President and Bureau members for their trust,” Zeender said. “I have been with the FEI for a long time and have seen it grow and develop. I am very aware of the potential this great organization has and am thrilled to play a part in its future. The FEI family feels like a true family to me, and I undertake this new challenge with joy and enthusiasm.”