HORSE Sport Ireland’s finance committee chairman James Kennedy will take over as interim chief executive of HSI on Friday, December 23rd, when Damian McDonald will step down from the role as he prepares to take up the position of director general of the Irish Farmers Association.

Kennedy has served as chairman of HSI’s finance committee since March 2013 and chair of the show jumping high performance committee since April of this year. He is also the current chairman of the Federation of Polo in Ireland, a sport in which he is still an active participant.