The Queen is pleased to appoint Mr Gawn William Rowan Hamilton DL as Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant for County Down to succeed Mr David Lindsay, who is due to retire on 25th September.
Background
Gawn Rowan Hamilton was educated at Eton College and Cambridge. An accountant by training, he has worked for Ernst & Young and Schroders plc and was CFO and Co-founder of Mergermarket Ltd until 2009. He has been an investor in 15 start-up companies ranging from expert networks to technology-led bio-engineering businesses. He was Co-founder and CFO with Taskmaestro Ltd and is currently a Non-Executive Director of Eagle Alpha, an alternative data business in Dublin.
In a voluntary capacity, Mr Rowan Hamilton helped establish the Hans Sloane 350 Committee, which holds events in the memory of Sir Hans Sloane in Killyleagh, his birthplace. He was President of the River Dibney Conservation Trust from 2010-2016 and was also President of the Irish International Fly Fishing Fair raising funds for river conservation.
In 2017, he co-founded Killyleagh Community Association and is the current Treasurer. The organisation is responsible for arranging free community events and many smaller initiatives to address local issues such as anti-social behaviour and littering.
In 2020, he helped establish and coordinate the Killyleagh Area Covid Helpline, with over 95 volunteers delivering in excess of 500 packages during the pandemic.
He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for County Down in 2010.
