Louise Seppey: “Humans connect with humans”

Drawing on experience across snow sports, golf, communications and event operations, FIS Communications Coordinator Louise Seppey believes effective leadership starts with a willingness to listen to and understand diverse perspectives.

In the latest installment of our series on coaches and participants from the FIS Women Lead Sports Master Program, Louise reflects on how communication must go way beyond results and medals - aiming to bring people together, build understanding and give visibility to voices that might otherwise go unheard.

Inside FIS: As FIS Communications Coordinator you have a wide range of responsibilities, covering a host of different disciplines, yet you always give off an air of calm and control. What skills are most important when coordinating fast-moving communication across cultures, teams and platforms?

Louise Seppey: Adaptability and flexibility are absolutely key. During the season, I’ll switch constantly between disciplines, and each discipline comes with its own culture. You have to adapt not only to the sport itself, but also to every stakeholder you work with or communicate with.

Staying calm is important too, though I’m not always as calm as I look! Sometimes I see everything that needs to be done and think, “Where do I even begin?” but the important thing is not to freeze; you have to force yourself to start somewhere.

It is also about prioritizing. This winter especially, I had many events happening at the same time, so I had to stay focused on what I was doing in that moment, while being aware of everything else that was happening around me.

Nothing ever goes completely according to plan, so you have to be able to adapt constantly and focus on what you can control.

Inside FIS: Before joining FIS, your professional and academic background spanned comms, global regulation, event management, business administration and sports management - in both golf and snow sports. How has that variety of experience helped shape your current leadership style?

LS: Well, I’d describe myself as a bit of a generalist! I’m not an expert in just one thing, but I do know enough about a lot of areas to understand the bigger picture. I like bringing experts together, building the narrative and making sure the complete story can be told in a clear and meaningful way.

That’s shaped my leadership style as well. Having a broader view helps when coordinating projects and reminding people that there are always multiple stakeholders and different perspectives to consider.

Inside FIS: Upon completion of the FIS Women Lead Sports Master program, you described WLS as preparing participants to “reshape the future of sports leadership”. What was the most impactful lesson you learned from course leader Gabriela Mueller Mendoza or your WLS colleagues?

LS: First, it reassured me that women absolutely belong in the sports industry - in any industry in fact - and I strongly believe diversity is key, especially in decision-making bodies.

That includes gender diversity, but also cultural and generational diversity, with the program reinforcing the idea that we’ve all got so many valuable skills and capabilities already. We need to trust ourselves and feel confident that we belong and can contribute to making things better.

Everyone in the group was very different, but we were able to support one another and build a genuine sense of community. Despite the program being remote, Gabriela did a fantastic job creating a real feeling that you belonged to something, that you could go far and that the group would support you.

Another impactful lesson I learned from the program is that we need to leverage new technologies - especially AI - to our advantage. Gabriela encouraged us to embrace it and become early adopters, not just for staying relevant but in becoming sports leaders.

Inside FIS: You recently experienced your first Paralympic Games, and the digital growth during the Games was remarkable. What did it teach you about the power of sport and the role communication plays in shaping how athletes and events are understood?

LS: First of all, the sporting performances were incredible! I’d already seen these athletes compete at World Cups, but seeing them perform in front of packed crowds, with a full media presence and a busy mixed zone, was something special.

I genuinely had goosebumps at the first competition in Cortina and it reinforced how powerful sport is when it comes to bringing people together, building bridges and including people from all backgrounds, abilities and ages.

I’m also very proud of what we achieved from a communications perspective. Ahead of the Games, we focused on telling human stories and giving athletes a platform to show who they are, beyond competition and results.

Humans connect with humans. Even if someone’s not a skier or snowboarder, they can still connect with a snow sports athlete through their story and experiences, and that was really the key.

We also made sure the Paralympic campaign was a continuation of the Olympic campaign. It was important that Para athletes were included within the broader snow sports story. At the end of the day, they’re athletes performing on the very biggest stage, and they deserve that visibility.

Inside FIS: How do you keep that momentum going during the off season?

LS: We want to keep surfing the Paralympic wave, and that means continuing to create athlete-focused content and more behind-the-scenes storytelling.

We’re working directly with athletes to gather off-season content, whether that’s training sessions or glimpses into their everyday lives, and we’re also using the archives we’ve got available to us.

At the same time, we’re already looking ahead to next season because it’s a World Championships season, which is another major opportunity to build visibility and tell stories.

Inside FIS: Last but not least, your FIS colleagues Madeline Nappey and Bell Berghuis both recently highlighted a need to encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for technical and leadership positions. From a comms perspective, how can those pathways be made more visible?

LS: By continuing to tell stories like theirs!

There are so many interesting profiles that the wider public simply does not know about. If we can show people that these career paths exist and are possible, then someone will see that and think, “I didn’t know that existed, but I’d like to learn more.”

Visibility is the key. Whether through articles, video series or other content, it’s about showing people what’s possible.

As an international federation, we also have an important role in connecting with our National Ski Associations. We want to help share stories and initiatives from across their network and amplify them so they’re visible to more people.

It’s like the saying goes: if you can see it, you can be it!