The Ardonagh Group has appointed Rory Best (pictured centre) – the former Ulster, Ireland and British & Irish Lions Captain – as its director of development, a newly created role.
As director of development, Best will work with Ardonagh Group’s various executive teams – in particular, the subsidiary Arachas. He will work closely with Ardonagh founder and CEO David Ross (pictured right), as well as Arachas and Ardonagh Europe CEO Conor Brennan (pictured left).
Best will also campaign on behalf of Ardonagh’s community and charity projects and will be appointed to the board of the groups’ charity, Ardonagh Community Trust, which has donated more than £1 million to community causes worldwide.
One of the most celebrated and capped rugby players in history, Best earned 124 caps for Ireland from his debut in 2005 to his retirement at the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He earned his degree in agriculture from Queen’s University Belfast prior to becoming a professional rugby player with his home province of Ulster. He played for Ulster from 2004 to 2019 and for Ireland from 2005 to 2019. Best also toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2013 and 2017.
In addition to playing rugby, Best also worked at his family’s framing business in Poyntzpass.
Since his retirement, Best has focused on charitable efforts. As part of Ardonagh, he will support mental health awareness and other issues affecting young people. He will also help raise £500,000 for children with cancer by walking 180 miles this September from Daisy Lodge in Co. Down to the site of the Cancer Fund for Children’s new short break centre in Cong, Co. Mayo.
“Rory Best is an exceptional man with unique insights into leadership and an acute commercial intelligence. While I have always hugely admired his sporting achievements, it is our shared values, and his unique insight into how teams can work better together that really strike a chord,” said Ardonagh founder and CEO David Ross.
“I am very excited about my first major role since retirement, and the real beginning of the second phase of my career. Since I retired two years ago, I have examined many opportunities and wanted to make sure I was making a real difference in whatever I pursued. Coming from a farming family, I have long understood the importance of insurance to protect business owners,” commented Best on his appointment. “David and Conor have built truly world-class businesses and when they approached me about a role at Ardonagh and at Arachas, I was confident I could really help, developing leadership abilities and offering management insight, given my own experience leading ambitious teams. Ardonagh’s deep support for the communities it operates in is personally important to me and aligned to my ambition to positively impact lives and livelihoods wherever possible.”
