Young girl pictured with her back to camera on the beach at the Isle of Barra, Scotland

It all began with the first act

Our story began with Eilidh, a 14-year-old girl from the Isle of Barra in Scotland and the niece of Ardonagh colleague, Margaret.

Sadly, Eilidh was one of the 22 people who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.

At this time, Ardonagh was yet to be launched, but the leadership team felt compelled to act. They paused the creation of the business to establish a platform to respond to the tragedy that would also ensure Ardonagh employees into the future have the support to give back to the causes close to their hearts, too.

And so ACT was born – a charity accessible to all Ardonagh people across the Group worldwide.

Our first act was a grant to fund musical instruments at Eilidh’s school. Since then we’ve worked closely with the Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust established in her name to create a sculpture to honour both her life and love of music.

To date, together with our people and supporters, ACT has raised over £5.5 million and supported more than 1,000 causes around the world.

We are committed to changing the lives of the communities that matter to us in a way that has an everyday impact.

From the first ACT to big impact. In 2022, we gathered with 300+ colleagues, friends and industry partners raising over £1 million to kickstart the next chapter.

Actions

Today, ACT enables Ardonagh people to support the causes that matter to them through six actions:

Community Grants

Helping communities connected to our people shine brighter.

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Match Funding

Boosting the fundraising efforts of our people for the causes they care about.

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Charity Partnerships

Working closely with causes close to the hearts of our people.

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Volunteering

Giving back time and skills to make a difference.

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Bright Future Prize

Empowering and investing in the next generation of community leaders.

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Sustainability

Investing to protect global communities for the future.

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Our values

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Humanity

We give Ardonagh colleagues the opportunity to show compassion and help people in communities they know and love.

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Authenticity

We are committed to driving positive change for those who need it.

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Impact

By amplifying the efforts of Ardonagh people, we make a real impact where it matters most.

Meet our ACT Trustees

We’re governed by our Board of Trustees who dedicate their time and experience to support ACT. The trustees have ultimate responsibility for our mission, performance and strategy and together meet regularly to discuss our governance and operations.

John Tiner, Trustee and Chair

John is Chairman of The Ardonagh Group. With a career spanning over 40 years in financial services, from accounting through to his position as Chief Executive of the FSA, John has played a significant role in reforming the regulation of the insurance industry and improving consumers’ understanding of personal finance. Alongside David Ross, John was pivotal to the inception of ACT in 2017. John is particularly passionate and proud of ACT’s contributions to foster positive mental health, whether through our partnership with Samaritans or the many wellbeing connected causes we have supported through our Community Grant programme.

David Ross, Trustee

David has been Chief Executive Office of The Ardonagh Group since its creation in 2017. An Insead Alumnus, David’s career has spanned 30 years on the front line of the insurance industry. With John, David was instrumental to the Trust’s creation and its first act – when colleagues across the Group came together in solidarity of the Manchester bombings in 2017. David champions ACT’s role as a platform connecting Ardonagh’s community of employees around the world and harnessing the spirit of the Ardonagh people as a collective driving force for common good.

Antony Erotocritou, Trustee

Antony is Ardonagh's Chief Commercial Officer. He originally joined the Group in 2016 and has played a pivotal role within the wider Group most notably as Deputy CFO and Ardonagh Specialty CEO. Prior to Ardonagh, Antony held senior executive positions across a number of key industries, including FTSE 100 Telecoms giants BT and France Telecom, private equity firm Oakley Capital, and the RSA Insurance Group. As well as lending his financial acumen to the Trust, Antony is often involved in charitable activities alongside colleagues from across Group and the Specialty platform.

Kelly-Ann Knight, Trustee

Kelly-Ann is Ardonagh’s Chief of Staff and has played a crucial advisory role in all things ACT since its inception. Having worked within Towergate before Ardonagh was formed in 2017, her career in PR and Communications spans almost 20 years. She officially joins our board of Trustees in January 2024, bringing her insight and passion for ACT to the table. A firm believer of giving back in all forms, Kelly-Ann has played a key role in the evolution of the Group’s charity and is a strong advocate of ACT in all parts of the Group and around the world. Alongside her day job, Kelly-Ann also lends her hosting skills to ACT at our Gala events and as the voice of our Radio Ardonagh shows each year for Give Back.

Derek Coles, Trustee

Derek Coles is CEO of MGA in Ardonagh Retail and has been a part of ACT’s board of trustees since 2021. Derek is a stalwart advocate of ACT’s mission to champion the causes connected to Ardonagh colleagues. Derek’s brother, former Lutine CEO and ACT Employee Representative, Andy Coles, founded the annual Ride4Life event. The cycling challenge sees colleagues from across the Ardonagh take on an epic route and has so far raised over £65,000 for charity. Following Andy’s passing in 2020, Derek has continued to lend his support to Ride4Life, which reaches new heights every year.

Rory Best, Trustee

Rory is Director of Development, The Ardonagh Group, and has been an ACT Trustee since 2021. He is one of the most successful rugby players in history, having played for Ulster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. Since retiring from the pitch, Rory continues to be a passionate philanthropist. In particular, Rory is an ambassador for Cancer Fund for Children, a charity which helps young people and their families across the island of Ireland, and a spotlight cause for ACT. In 2021, Rory walked 180 miles to raise funds for a new Daisy Lodge respite centre in Co. Mayo and went further in May 2023 – walking over 200 miles and raising over €1million. As a keen believer in supporting the next generation, Rory has been a strong ambassador for The ACT Bright Future Prize which seeks to further the dreams of young people with aspirations to give back to the communities that matter to them.

Paul Lynam, Trustee

Paul joined as an ACT Trustee in 2023. He is Chairman of the Ardonagh owned Envest Group and sits on the board of several of the Australian assets. Paul was the founding Director of SRS Underwriting (Now known as Pen Underwriting) and Blue Broking, he was also Chairman of the Underwriting Agencies Council of Australia and a recipient of the Underwriting Agencies Council Lifetime Achievement Award. Paul, in addition to his impressive professional accomplishments, is deeply committed to making a positive impact beyond the boardroom. He actively engages in charitable efforts, leveraging his influence and resources to support various philanthropic causes.

Sarah Williams, Independent Trustee

Sarah has been close to ACT for several years before joining the board as a trustee in 2023.The ACT Bright Future Prize was established in memory of Sarah’s son, Freddie, who died from a rare form of cancer. The prize continues Freddie’s legacy, investing in young people with big aspirations to make a difference in their communities. As an Occupational Therapist, Sarah has insight into the lives of people from a range of backgrounds and this experience brings hugely valuable contributions to the board. Sarah has a particular interest in social justice, supporting causes which value the vulnerable and promote dignity and choice. Supporting local and emerging charities is important for Sarah, which is why being part of the Bright Future Prize and ACT is significant.

Paula Rios, Employee Representative

Paula Rios is our Employee Representative for 2023. Paula is Editor in Chief of FULLCOVER magazine and MDS Publications as well as Executive Director at HighDome PCC, a company of MDS Group and part of Ardonagh International. Previously she was Executive Director at MDS Portugal, where she has been since 2005, playing roles in several companies of the MDS Group. Prior to this, Pauls worked for several insurance companies in the Portuguese market, including Legal Advisor, Claims Manager and Chief Underwriting Officer – and has a degree in Law and a post-graduation in Strategic Management. Alongside colleagues in Portugal, Paula has been an advocate for several mental health causes. She is currently member of the Executive board at ASM – Portuguese Alliance for the Promotion of Mental Health in the Workplace. With her communications expertise and long-standing career in MDS, Paula is a passionate advocate for ACT with Ardonagh colleagues across Portugal.