Jason O'Donovan joins BGF's investment team

BGF, the largest growth investor in the Irish market, has announced the appointment of Jason O’Donovan as an investor on its team in Ireland.

BGF began operations in Ireland in 2017. Over the past six years, the company has invested close to €100 million in a variety of businesses, in sectors as diverse as medical device manufacturing and cybersecurity. In total, investee companies in Ireland employ almost 1,000 people.

Jason has a strong background in corporate finance and has worked in both Dublin and in London, where he was a Vice President with investment bank Lazard. At Lazard, Jason managed a variety of UK and international deals across a range of sectors, including fintech, consumer, retail, tech, and healthcare.

He is a former Group Director of Corporate Finance with one of Ireland’s largest forecourt retailers, Applegreen, where he was responsible for sourcing, appraising, and executing key transactions in the Irish, UK and US markets.

Jason is also a former Director (Corporate Development & Investment) with ION Group, a global investor and operator in the financial software and data analytics sectors. He was responsible for managing a portfolio of over 30 companies, and sourcing, appraising and executing on various transactions.

At BGF, Jason will be responsible for sourcing and executing new investments, as well as sitting on the boards of portfolio companies and supporting management teams through to exit.

“I’m delighted to be joining an investment company of BGF’s size and experience. I look forward to getting close to a range of ambitious businesses at pivotal stages in their lifecycles and working alongside management teams and entrepreneurs to help them realise their growth potential.”

Jason O’Donovan

Leo Casey, Head of BGF in Ireland, said that Jason would bring huge expertise to the BGF team in Ireland: “we have an exciting pipeline of investment opportunities across the Irish economy and Jason will bring invaluable experience to support our work and our investee companies as they build out their businesses.”