Howden, the global insurance and reinsurance broking group, has announced the acquisition of Gravitas Insurance Agency LLC (Gravitas), a US retail brokerage specialising in contingency insurance for music, sport and live events.
Headquartered in Los Angeles with clients nationwide, the firm designs tailored insurance programmes for performing artists, touring acts, live event organisers, talent agencies, and record labels.
Before launching Gravitas, Tomlinson built the North America entertainment platform at Lockton, where he established one of the industry’s foremost music-related insurance practices.
Marlene Benoit joined Tomlinson as a Partner at Gravitas, who previously led Lockton’s North America Contingency team and specialised in music-related non-appearance coverage.
Jim Hays, Vice Chair at Howden, said, “As Howden recently made clear by establishing a U.S. leadership team for its expansion in this dynamic market, we are committed to creating opportunities for the most talented and leading players in the sector. The addition of Gravitas is a great example of how we are growing our business in the U.S. through a mix of talent and strategic acquisitions. By harnessing our outstanding global capabilities with specialist expertise, we deliver service with a difference to clients.”
This announcement follows Howden’s other recent Sport & Entertainment acquisitions, including UK performing arts insurance broker Hencilla Canworth, German film and entertainment insurance broker Franz Gossler, and Spain’s entertainment broker Boni Aldaya.
Duncan Fraser, Global Head of Sport & Entertainment at Howden, said, “The US represents 60% of the total global Sport & Entertainment premium, so the scale of the opportunity we have in front of us is immense. Our combined specialist expertise in sport, media, entertainment and equine, alongside Howden’s global platform and growing US retail business, will mean we are a magnet for top industry talent – essential in delivering outstanding service to clients.”
Charlie Connell, Head of Entertainment at Howden, commented, “We know Gravitas is a fantastic partner for us, having worked with them for many years. As we take this exciting step together to build a sport, media, entertainment and equine business in the US as part of our expanding global practice, we look forward to being able to offer our American clients a real alternative and an exciting home for talent.”
Tomlinson added, “The powerful partnership between Gravitas and Howden was forged many years ago and has proven to be a genuine difference maker for the entertainment community. This exciting next evolution as a unified front will truly force multiply our ability to deliver unparalleled outcomes for the clients we serve and become the destination of choice for the top talent in our industry.”
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