Lockton, the world’s largest independent insurance broker, has today announced the appointment of Gordon D’Arcy – former professional rugby player for Leinster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions – as Business Development Executive within its Transactional Risks division. Based in Dublin, Ireland, he takes up his new role with immediate effect.
In this newly created role, Gordon will be responsible for deal origination, with a particular focus on supporting M&A transactions throughout the UK and Ireland. In addition to joining the Transactional Risks division, where he will work closely with both London and Dublin-based teams, Gordon will support both the General Insurance and People Solutions teams at Lockton Ireland.
Gordon brings a wealth of experience to Lockton, having managed a broad range of business interests in recent years. In 2020, Gordon co-founded Kids Speech Labs, a digital health firm which improves children’s access to speech and language therapy (SLT) services using speech recognition and machine learning. Prior to this, Gordon was Commercial Director for Brightwater Recruitment, where he was responsible for sales across three offices in Ireland. Before that, he held a range of senior business development roles at Investec, a wealth management firm, and TransferMate, a payments fintech. He currently serves as a non-executive director for Transact Payments Limited.
Before Gordon’s business career, he was a professional rugby player for more than 17 years, having played in three Rugby World Cups.
Gordon’s arrival marks the latest addition to the Lockton Ireland network, following last month’s partnership with football star Stephanie Zambra who is a Brand Ambassador for the business.
Niall O'Callaghan, CEO at Lockton Ireland, said: “Naturally, we are delighted to welcome Gordon to the team. He is an Irish sporting icon who has experienced incredible success both on and off the pitch, due in no small part to his phenomenal work ethic. His sporting achievements combined with his clear business acumen, and his wide network of contacts, will add a fresh perspective to Lockton’s operations, and will undoubtedly strengthen our offer for new and existing clients. I thoroughly look forward to working with him as we support businesses throughout the UK and Ireland in their M&A endeavours.”
Gary Ennis, Chairman at Lockton Ireland, said: ““We are delighted to add Gordon D’Arcy to the Lockton Team in Ireland. Gordon will focus on building out our Transactional Risks practice and further developing our network of contacts in this space supported by our market leading TR team in London. Gordon has already had a positive impact on the Lockton team and we look forward to working with him as he brings his skills and abilities, honed on the rugby field for Leinster and Ireland, to the firm.”
Gordon D’Arcy added: “Lockton is a business I have long admired, it has a genuine focus on people and empowering its people to succeed. Also building diverse and inclusive teams are values which resonate with me personally, and I am thrilled to be joining the team.”
Lockton has been awarded the Best Place to Work in Insurance for 13 years in a row, is a 2022 US Best Managed Company and has been recognised by Forbes as a 2022 Best Large Employer and Best Employer for Diversity.