100 of the Most Influential Women in Sport >> Boardroom & Administration

Lesa France Kennedy, USA

CEO of the International Speedway Corporation

Lesa Kennedy is someone, you might say, who likes to live in the fast lane. CEO of the International Speedway Corporation, and vice chair of the board of directors of NASCAR makes her one of the most influential figures in the world of American motorsport. An Economics and Psychology graduate, Kennedy has been CEO of the ISC since 1984, and has garnered the respect of everyone in the game. As well as handling some of the biggest sporting events on the planet, Lesa also has to deal with the loss of her husband, Dr Bruce Kennedy, who was killed in a plane crash in 2007.

– In 2009, Forbes named her the Most Powerful Woman in Sports.

– Racing is in the blood, her son, Ben, is a NASCAR driver.

– Her family is known as the ‘first family’ of NASCAR – it was her father, Bill, who founded the organisation in 1948.

Did you know…

Despite working in the speed-fueled arena of motorsport, Kennedy still lists riding a camel in Dubai as one of the most daring things she has done.

“As much as you can, frontload the things that you need to do, the more time you have for curveballs.” – Lesa France Kennedy

Twitter: @LesaISC