Global business consulting firm EY has signed on as a principal partner of the British & Irish Lions rugby union team.
The agreement covers the Lions’ tour of New Zealand in 2017. As part of the deal, EY’s digital and analytical services will be used to engage fans around the world in the tour.
EY becomes the Lions’ sixth and final principal partner for the tour, joining Standard Life Investments, Canterbury, QBE, Land Rover and Qantas.
EY global vice-chairman of advisory services, Norman Lonergan, said: “As a business we identify very closely with the values of rugby and it’s fantastic to be able to build on our successful Rugby World Cup 2015 partnership with such an iconic and unique challenge in the modern sporting era.
“The Lions in New Zealand is something special and will be a tremendous test of what a high performing team can achieve in a high-pressure environment. The Lions embodies what EY brings to its clients – a range of diverse expertise, experience and character that, together with the right strategy and analysis, can build a better working world through the highest performing teams.”
The Lions’ New Zealand tour begins with a game against a Provincial Union XV on June 3, 2017.