The senior vice president of marketing for Dubai Duty Free, Sinead El Sibai, has been named one of the most influential women in sport.

The iSportconnect networking platform conducted a poll of influential women in the industry to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March.

El Sibai joins sports stars such as Serena Williams and Simone Biles and key figures in sports administration such as Fatma Samoura, the Secretary General of FIFA and Marie Donaghue, Amazon’s vice president of sports video.

“It is a privilege to be considered in such esteemed company and I am delighted to highlight the role of women working in the sports industry in this part of the world,” El Sibai said.

El Sibai was heavily involved in the most recent edition of Dubai Duty Free’s flagship event, the Dubai Tennis Championships, which saw Roger Federer claim his 100th singles career title just six days before the influential women’s poll was announced.

Colm McLoughlin, Dubai Duty Free’s executive vice chairman and CEO, said: “I am thrilled that Sinead has been recognised by the iSportconnect community for her marketing expertise and for the hard work that she and her team commit to all of our major events and sponsorships, including the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and our major horse racing sponsorships in the UK and Ireland.”

El Sibai added: “Our global portfolio of sponsorships and events is very diverse and provides us with extensive opportunities to promote our brand on the international stage and engage with a diverse range of sportsmen and women, sports fans and governing bodies.”