Associations in Sync

Emma Zwiebler’s path to leading a global trade association is anything but conventional. Zwiebler, the CEO of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), is a former professional badminton player who competed internationally through her early 20s before pursuing a law degree to practice anti-doping law.

Instead, Zwiebler found her calling at WFSGI, a global nonprofit trade association representing the sporting goods industry, including manufacturers, brands, retailers, and partner national federations and other associations. WFSGI represents more than 150 member companies in Asia, the Americas, and EMEA.

In an HFA Pod episode, “From the Court to the C-Suite: Emma Zwiebler on Leadership and Sport,” Zwiebler sat down with Greta Wagner, HFA interim president and CEO, while the two attended HFA’s European Congress in London. (HFA Pod is sponsored by Hapana.)

The theme of the Congress, “One Vision, One Voice,” appropriately sums up the strong ties between HFA and WFSGI. Over the last few years, Zwiebler and WFSGI have worked with HFA to promote physical activity around the world. On HFA Pod, Zwiebler again stressed how the two global trade associations can unite to make progress on their shared mission.

Under Zwiebler’s leadership, WFSGI has played a stronger role in aligning with groups like HFA, and seeking dialogue with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other global health organizations.

"Quite often in my career over the last three years, I've been in rooms where people are like, 'Oh, we haven't heard from the sporting goods industry before,'" Zwiebler said.

Leadership Lessons

Zwiebler joined WFSGI in 2018 and became its CEO just under four years ago, a trajectory she described as one that “no career advisors at university or school” would typically recommend. Yet, for Zwiebler, the work has proven deeply fulfilling—combining her love of international sport with the professional discipline she developed in law and the entrepreneurial drive she honed as an elite athlete.

The mindset Zwiebler developed on the court continues to shape how she leads the organization. She credits competitive sport with instilling in her an appreciation for team diversity, resilience, and what she calls the most essential quality for any CEO: accepting that leadership is not merely a job but a lifestyle.

“If you want to lead an organization, whether it’s a trade association, whether it’s a [corporation], you need to accept that that is something that you embrace as part of your lifestyle and your personality,” she told Wagner.

On the Same Page with HFA

Zwiebler pointed to a sobering statistic as a driving force behind WFSGI’s work: More than 80% of young people aged 11 to 17 globally do not meet recommended levels of physical activity, meaning future generations are entering adulthood less active than those before them.

At the same time, she highlighted the significant economic power of both her industry’s and HFA’s membership, which can have a positive influence on policymakers. WFSGI’s recently completed economic impact report—the first in the organization’s nearly 50-year history—found that the sporting goods industry generates $614 billion in annual revenue, contributes $675 billion to global GDP, and supports 28 million jobs worldwide.

Zwiebler was emphatic that the greatest opportunity for both industries lies in combining their voices. The two organizations recently issued a joint statement on integrating physical activity into GLP-1 and obesity care plans. She envisions a future in which HFA and WFSGI map out key moments to amplify a unified message to governments and civil society, making the case not just for the public health dividend their industries provide but for the economic outcomes they deliver.

“We have a responsibility as two industries that genuinely have a solution to help people be more active,” Zwiebler said, “and I think the opportunity for us together is to get more sophisticated on our messaging.”