Dallaglio scores hosting spot at BMJ Industry Awards 2025

One of the stars of the England Rugby World Cup winning side will be taking to the stage as this year’s BMJ Industry Awards host.

A familiar face and voice from ITV’s rugby TV coverage, Lawrence Dallaglio OBE is a true icon of British sport, and one of the most outstanding and compelling figures in England Rugby history. Regarded as one of the world’s greatest ever back-row forwards, he won 22 major trophies for both club and country, ending his career with 85 caps.

He won the inaugural Rugby World Cup 7s in 1993, was the only player to play every minute of every match during England’s winning World Cup campaign in Australia in 2003, and was one of only two northern hemisphere players to hold World Cup winners’ medals in both the 7s and 15-man game. He also played on three British and Irish Lions Tours, winning a Test series in South Africa in 1997. Arguably though, his finest moments came in the 2004 tour to New Zealand, when England, the reigning World Champions, lost both tests.  “Like a great heavyweight in a dangerous title fight, he was at his best when it was all on the line,” said his former Wasps coach Shaun Edwards, now France’s defence coach.

A one-club player, Dallaglio enjoyed a stellar career with Wasps from joining in 1990 to his retirement in 2008, captaining the London club to victory in five Premiership titles, three League Cups, and three European trophies. Since retiring from rugby, he has established a number of business and commercial relationships. He launched and sold a sports marketing agency, BBH Sport, delivering strategy, creative, and execution for a variety of clients, including England RWC 2015, LTA, RFU, Samsung, and Adidas. He now delivers and broadcasts across multiple channels, including TNT, ITV, and most recently Premier Sports, where he is a commentator on the Investec Champions Cup. He is also a well-respected and long-standing columnist for The Sunday Times.

Dallaglio’s outstanding achievements were recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, where he was awarded an MBE (2004) and an OBE (2008).

In addition to his commercial ventures, he undertakes an impressive measure of charity work under the umbrella of his own award-winning charity, Dallaglio RugbyWorks. RugbyWorks is an intensive, long-term skills development programme based on rugby, aiming to help teenagers excluded from mainstream education transition into sustained education, employment, or training.

BMJ Group Managing Editor Fiona Russell Horne said: “My love of all things rugby is no secret, so it will come as no surprise that I am immensely excited to be able to announce Lawrence Dallaglio as this year’s BMJ Industry Awards host. Having heard him speak several times before, I know that we will be in for a fabulous afternoon full of hilarious rugby anecdotes. Some of them may even be printable.”

The BMJ Industry Awards take place at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, Tower Bridge, London on Thursday September 25th.

Nominations can be made until April 30, after which the entries will be put forward to the voting portal.

Tickets and tables can be reserved on the BMJIndustryAwards website.