Clare McMonagle will step down as Chief Financial Officer of the British & Irish Lions, bringing to a close a period that included the hugely successful 2025 Tour of Australia and important preparation for the next phase of the organisation’s development.
The Donegal native joined the Lions in October 2023, arriving from CarTrawler with extensive senior finance experience in Ireland and Australia.
Her role with the Lions extended well beyond the traditional CFO brief. As part of a relatively small executive team, McMonagle held responsibility across finance, IT, HR, strategy, risk and ticketing, putting her close to many of the major commercial and organisational decisions surrounding one of world rugby’s most distinctive properties.
She was part of the senior team delivering the 2025 Tour of Australia, with the Lions returning to a market McMonagle knew well from her previous career there. She was also named among the official Lions touring party as Chief Financial Officer.
Her departure comes as the Lions organisation moves into another important period, with the first British & Irish Lions Women’s Tour to New Zealand scheduled for September 2027.
McMonagle has remained closely involved in that project, recently highlighting the confirmation of the historic first Lions Women’s fixture, against France at Principality Stadium in Cardiff in August 2027, ahead of the squad travelling to New Zealand.
She has also strengthened her connection with Irish sport during 2026 through her appointment to the Board of Hockey Ireland.
Sport for Business Perspective
The Lions have become an increasingly sophisticated year-round commercial business rather than an organisation which comes alive only every four years.
That makes the CFO position particularly important.
McMonagle joined ahead of Australia 2025 and worked through a period encompassing a major men’s tour, continued commercial expansion and the development of the first Lions Women’s Tour.
For Irish sport, her next move will be worth watching. She combines high-level financial and commercial experience with an increasingly strong governance profile within sport, including her new role with Hockey Ireland.
For the Lions, meanwhile, finding her successor comes at an interesting moment. The immediate challenge is no longer preparing for Australia but building the business case and operating model around a historic new property in the Lions Women, while continuing the longer-term build towards the men’s return to New Zealand in 2029.
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Image Credit: British and Irish Lions
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