Insurance firm Gallagher taps pro athletes for summer internships, preparing them for life off the field

Insurance firm Gallagher is tapping into a new kind of summer intern: professional athletes.

Last year, the insurance giant expanded its internship program to offer positions to pro athletes, giving them a pathway to prepare for life after sports. In return, Gallagher discovered the stars also tend to shine off the field.

“They know what it’s like to work hard and how long that path is to get to success,” said Chris Mead, Gallagher’s chief marketing officer. “They know what it’s like to be part of a team and how to lead one.”

This year Gallagher opened the program to eight members of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Chicago Stars. Leilanni Nesbeth and Chardonnay Curran, a current and former midfielder with the team, respectively, jumped at the opportunity for a paid internship.

“It means a lot for us to be able to get our foot in the door,” Nesbeth said in an interview with CNBC.

“I’ve never had a job outside of soccer,” said Curran. “Being a pro soccer player was my first career, and I’ve never been in a corporate setting.”

Gallagher started its Partnership Intern Program for athletes in 2024, piloted with four players from the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

Over six weeks, participants gain business experience, professional skill development and career mentorship, while also learning the ins and outs of insurance brokerage, sales and corporate culture.

Gallagher, a sponsor of the Chicago NWSL team, tailors its internship program for the athlete participants to accommodate their demanding schedules.

For many, that support is crucial. Pro sports careers can be short and unpredictable, and earnings can vary widely. The average NWSL salary is about $125,000 per season, according to the league.

Gallagher’s goal is to prepare athletes for what comes next.

“We went in there knowing nothing about insurance, and now I could probably bore your head off about RPS,” Nesbeth joked, referencing an industry term meaning “risk placement services.”

For Curran, it was about changing preconceived notions about the insurance industry.

“After doing the internship, everything I thought about insurance was the exact opposite,” she said.

Curran and the Chicago Stars mutually agreed to part ways days after she spoke with CNBC.

Mead said Gallagher has gone on to hire some of the athlete interns as employees when their playing careers are over.

He said in Europe, the company employs a professional rugby player who is one of its star salesmen.

“There’s a time when the light bulb goes off and they see how celebrating a win on the pitch is no different than celebrating a win after a sale or doing something wonderful for a customer,” Mead told CNBC.

Ties between insurance and professional sports are not new.

For years, State Farm has run catchy commercials featuring former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, former Indiana Pacers shooting guard Reggie Miller, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark of the WNBA and a host of others.

On Monday, AIG announced it was becoming the first Fortune 500 company to take a stake in an EFL League Two club, with an investment in Salford City Football Club in the U.K.

Nationwide, an NWSL partner, also runs a similar internship program with league players, offering them a professional development program at the insurance company’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.

“Our hope is that the players walk away with new skills and experiences that may serve them now and in their post-playing careers, perhaps back at Nationwide,” said Jim McCoy, vice president of sports marketing for Nationwide.