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Established in 1939, Irish Life is Ireland’s leading life, investment and pension company. Irish Life is now part of the Great-West Lifeco group of companies, one of the world’s leading life assurance organisations.
Founded more than a century ago in Winnipeg, Canada, Great-West Lifeco and its subsidiaries have a record for financial strength, earnings stability and consistently high ratings from the independent rating agencies. For example, The Great-West Life Assurance Company has an AA (Very Strong) rating for insurer financial strength from Standard & Poor’s.
Irish Life is committed to delivering innovative products backed by the highest standards of customer service and, as part of Great-West, has access to experience and expertise on a global scale, allowing the company to continuously enhance its leading range of products and services.
Information correct as of September 2020. For the latest information please see the Great-West Lifeco website.
Irish Life Assurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Corporate Business is the part of the organisation that provides group retirement and risk products to employer and affinity groups.
Corporate Business is the biggest provider of employee benefit solutions in Ireland. We have approximately 672,000 customers (both public and private sector), spread over 6,780 group arrangements, for whom we administer pensions, life assurance and income protection.
Our mission is to help workers to provide for a secure financial future for themselves and for their families.
- 2013 - Great-West Lifeco completes the acquisition of Irish Life
- 2012 - Demerger of Irish Life & Permanent Group Irish Life Group acquired by the Minister for Finance / Irish Government
- 2011 - Disposal of Irish Life International Ltd to SEB Trygg Liv Holding AB
- 2010 - Irish Life Financial Services (ILFS) was incorporated and is a 100% subsidiary of the Irish Life group
- 2008 - Acquisition of remaining 25% of Cornmarket Group Financial Services Ltd
- 2005 - Disposal of City of Westminster Assurance plc (CWA) to Chesnara plc.
- 2004 - Disposal of Irish Estates Management Ltd (IEM) to a group of private and institutional investors.
- 2003 - Disposal of remaining US business, Guarantee Reserve, to Swiss Re
- 1999 - Merger of Irish Life plc and Irish Permanent plc in April. Disposal of interests in joint ventures with Kredietbank in Ireland and Hungary. Acquisition of Cornmarket Financial Services Group.
- 1997 - Wind up of Xaar, the group’s general insurance business, in France. Acquisition, in partnership with Kredietbank, of minority stake in Kereskedelmi es Hitelbank Rt. (Hungary). Acquisition of Guarantee Reserve, a funeral expense life business in US.
- 1996 - UK life operations closed to new business.
- 1994 - Entry into US variable life market with acquisition of First Variable. Sale of Norwegian subsidiary, DAVID.
- 1993 - Acquired City of Westminster Assurance, consisting of a closed book of life business in the UK.
- 1992 - Established general insurance business in France through subsidiary, Xaar.
- 1991 - Public flotation of Irish Life plc on Dublin and London Stock Exchanges in July.
- 1990 - Norwegian life assurance company DAVID acquired. Group restructured with creating of holding company, Irish Life plc.
- 1989 - Joint venture with Irish Intercontinental Bank (subsidiary of Kredietbank) in mortgage lending.
- 1988 - Operations in US commence with acquisition of Interstate Assurance Company.
- 1982 - Controlling interest in Church & General, a general insurance company, acquired. Interest subsequently diluted and Allianz now majority shareholder.
- 1979 - Irish Life Building Society established.
- 1965 - UK branch operation commenced.
- 1964 - Irish Life introduced the first unit-linked policy in Ireland.
- 1947 - Restructuring and purchase by Minister of Finance of shares held by British life assurance companies resulting in a government holding of 90.25%.
- 1939 - Irish Life Assurance incorporated, as part of the amalgamation of nine British and Irish life assurance companies. The Minister for Finance held 18% of the shares of the company.
- Arshil Jamal - Chairman
- Timothy Ryan - Non Executive Director
- Mary Finan - Non Executive Director
- Allen Loney - Non Executive Director
- Bill Kyle - Non Executive Director
- Declan Bolger - CEO
- Derek Netherton - Independent Non Executive Director
- Brian Forrester - Independent Non Executive Director
- Cecil Hayes - Independent Non Executive Director
- Rose McHugh - Independent Non Executive Director
- Brendan Murphy - Independent Non Executive Director
- Declan Bolger - CEO
- David Boyle - General Counsel
- Patrick Burke - Managing Director, ILIM
- Kieran Dempsey - Managing Director, Setanta
- Oisin O'Shaugnessy - Managing Director, Corporate Business
- Denis McLoughlin - Managing Director, Irish Life Retail
- Jim Dowdall - Managing Director, Irish Life Health
- Tracey Deeks - Executive Director, Corporate Resources
- Linda Kerrigan - Chief Actuary & Chief Risk Officer
- Brendan Healy - Chief Information Officer
- David Killeen - Finance Director
Information about the activities we partake in as part of our Corporate and Social Responsibility program.