Johnny Sexton takes adviser role with private equity firm

Exponent, established in London in 2004 but now with offices in Dublin, has invested in over 40 businesses across Europe, with enterprise values ranging from €150m to €500m.

Its most notable purchase was of Chanelle Pharma, Ireland’s largest indigenous manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals, last year. In 2016 it paid £150m to buy the Racing Post.

Sexton, who retired from rugby after the World Cup in 2023, became Chief of Staff at Ardagh Glass the following January. However, last summer he stood down from the role in order to accept an offer from Andy Farrell to be a coach on the Lions tour of Australia.

From August 1, he took up a full-time coaching post with the Irish Rugby Football Union.

Making the announcement of his appointment as an adviser, Exponent said he would be supporting its portfolio-company leaders on their “individual and team performance”, and will work at an individual and team level to mentor staff on their development.

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David McGovern, a partner at Exponent, said: “He brings unique experience, alongside practical perspectives on leadership and performance which will benefit the management teams we work with, as well as our colleagues at Exponent.

"His passion for getting the best out of people and his holistic approach to performance are complementary to our ambition to be a thoughtful and innovative partner to our portfolio and provide a supportive environment for our colleagues.”

Exponent appointed Jacqueline Flynn to lead its Dublin office in 2023, after she joined from Blackrock, where she had been Chief Operating Officer for Ireland.

By then Exponent had made 12 investments in Irish-owned or Irish-based businesses, to a value of €1bn, including in H&MV Engineering, based in Castletroy, Limerick.

In 2024, the fund bought Northern Ireland's biggest private hospital group, Kingsbridge, based in south Belfast. It was Exponent's first investment into Northern Ireland and, at with a value of £300m, represented one of the biggest private equity deals there in recent years.

The purchase of Chanelle cost €300m, and Exponent has since invested in Ethos Engineering, a Dublin based designer of data centres.

Last July the private-equity firm closed its fifth fund, raising just over €1bn, to invest in “high-quality mid-market businesses". Investors included AIB and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF).

Exponent said its investment strategy was to support corporate, family and founder-owned businesses, which are already established leaders in their markets.

In his statement Sexton said Exponent’s focus on people and on doing things in a different, more sustainable way had stood out for him.

“Over my sports career, my principal focus both as a player and a coach has always been on how I could get the best out of my myself and my team mates to improve team performance. During these years, I learned that to sustain that high performance it is important to incorporate overall wellbeing and to prioritise reviews and recovery. I believe this experience is complementary to Exponent’s approach and look forward to working hands-on with their team and portfolio companies.”

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