Doctoral student leads global compliance and risk management at FIFA

Anja Zumkeller relocated from Zurich to Miami two years ago to build a new team in her global role as FIFA’s director of compliance, risk management, audit and advisory. With more than two decades of experience in the field, Zumkeller is an international leader working behind the scenes to make sure FIFA shines. 

To deepen her research skills and bolster her already successful career, Zumkeller decided to pursue an advanced degree at FIU. She is currently a student in the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program, which is designed for working senior-level professionals looking to gain practical research skills that will help them fulfill their leadership and strategic roles. 

As the FIFA World Cup spotlight turns toward Miami, Zumkeller shared reflections on her role at FIFA and her experience balancing leadership at one of the world’s most recognized organizations with life as a doctoral student.

When people think of FIFA, they usually think of what happens on the pitch. However, managing an international organization requires incredibly robust structures. What does your world there actually look like?

My world is about creating stability behind the scenes so the magic can happen on the pitch. When you are dealing with global sports governance, you are operating in an incredibly high-stakes, politically complex and multicultural environment. It’s about building independent, transparent structures, optimizing intricate business processes and managing immense reputational risks across international borders.

In daily practice, leading these teams means safeguarding FIFA and its global operations. My compliance team drives proactive prevention and transparency through extensive third-party due diligence, conflict-of-interest management and integrity initiatives. Our risk management team equips senior leadership with objective data to make informed, high-stakes decisions, while the internal audit function provides independent, evidence-based assessments that help protect FIFA’s assets and reputation.

Right now, a key operational focus is supporting the preparation for the FIFA World Cup. We are embedding local compliance officers directly into the tournament subsidiaries across Canada, Mexico and the United States, ensuring smooth operations on the ground long before the first whistle blows.

Separately, to support our mandate on a global scale, FIFA made the strategic decision to relocate the team from our headquarters in Zurich to Miami. This move allows us to be structurally closer to our member associations, serving as a permanent strategic hub to drive good governance and professionalization throughout the Americas.

Working at FIFA is a dream job for a lot of people. What does it mean to you personally?

It has been an incredible privilege and a constant learning experience in how to lead through highly complex environments. Football is unique because it brings together people from different cultures, languages and backgrounds around a shared passion. Few organizations offer the opportunity to engage with such a diverse global community on a daily basis.

What I enjoy most is working at the intersection of governance and cultural diversity. Effective governance is not about imposing rules, rather, it is about building trust, accountability and integrity in ways that resonate across different cultures and environments. FIFA provides a unique platform for that. In my role, I bring together governance professionals, including colleagues from compliance, internal audit and risk management, from FIFA’s 211 member associations through initiatives such as the FIFA Compliance Summit. This forum enables participants to exchange experiences, share best practices and promote a shared commitment to integrity and good governance across football. Being part of that effort is something I find both professionally and personally fulfilling.

And it has also been the bridge that brought me to Miami, allowing me to expand my European professional background into a truly global perspective.

What made you go back to school, and why FIU?

I have been working in audit, risk management, compliance and advisory for over 20 years. It’s a great career, but at some point, you realize you are always looking at businesses through a very specific lens. I didn’t go back to school because I had to; I did it because I was genuinely curious. I wanted the time to sit down, look at everything I have seen in the real world over the last two decades, and understand the deeper “why” behind it. The DBA is just my way of putting those pieces together.

As for why FIU? I had actually been thinking about pursuing a DBA for quite some time. When my job relocated me from Zurich to Miami, it became the perfect opportunity to undertake this program at an internationally renowned institution like FIU. One of the university's greatest strengths is its deep integration into global business networks. True to that reputation, I am meeting peers here who are actively leading in the global corporate world, which keeps our discussions highly practical and grounded rather than purely academic. Being in such a diverse, top-tier environment is exactly what I was looking for.

What’s been the most unexpected part of the DBA experience so far?

What has been most unexpected is how refreshing it is to look at organizational challenges through a completely different lens. When you have spent 20 years in senior roles, your mindset naturally gravitates toward immediate, operational problem-solving. The DBA forces you out of that comfort zone by asking you to validate what you think you know with evidence, not just experience. It takes a career spent in business and governance, and forces you to defend your practical instincts against arduous scientific standards. The day-to-day value is immense because it sharpens your thinking, makes it more objective and keeps it completely independent of corporate bias.

How do you think the DBA changes the way you see your future?

The DBA equips me with the empirical weight and academic gravitas to prove that corporate integrity, purpose and sustainability are not just ethical ideals but measurable assets that directly drive organizational performance and market capital. It changes my role from someone who evaluates past processes to someone who architects future-proof organizations.

What advice would you give to someone considering going back to school while working full-time?

First, a DBA is an intellectual marathon, not a sprint; you need a topic and a purpose that genuinely excites you every single day. Second, treat your research not as an extra chore, but as an active laboratory for your career. And finally, if you have the situational freedom to invest in your own intellectual capital, do it without hesitation. It is the most empowering investment you can make.