Zena’s career in the sports sector has always combined her paid role in university sport with various non-exec national and international roles.
Until 2021 she was Director of Sport at the University of Birmingham where she was the sport lead on the development and commercial operation of over £60m of new facilities. This included four competition and training venues for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Zena has held various NED roles in multi-sport and in squash, national and international. She chaired England Squash 2006-12 and was President of the European Squash Federation 2013-19. During that same period Zena was also a member of the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Board and of Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games Bid Committee.
In December 2020, Zena was elected President of the World Squash Federation (WSF) and was re-elected for a second 4-year term in December 2024. In October 2023 squash was confirmed as an additional sport for Los Angeles 2028, the sport’s Olympic debut after almost 40 years of trying and regarded as the greatest moment in the sport’s 160 year history.
In October 2025 Zena was elected to the Board of ARISF, the Association for IOC Recognised International Federations.