Global insurance broker Howden has formally launched a dedicated US Sports & Entertainment practice, installing international team leader Robbie Henderson in New York to lead the operation. The move is intended to bring greater cohesion to the broking of specialist lines that intersect across live performance, broadcasting and sport.
Why the new unit matters
Howden said the new division will expand its domestic footprint while creating direct operational links between its American business and the firm’s global network. The announcement follows Henderson’s work since joining Howden in 2019, during which he has grown the broker’s international sports portfolio and advised on strategy across multiple markets.
Executives framed the launch as a response to increasingly complex event risks. As live and broadcasted events grow in scale and technological sophistication, single client relationships can generate a cluster of exposures that historically were placed separately and sometimes left coverage gaps. These include protection for broadcast rights, non-appearance, event cancellation, prize indemnity and public liability.
"This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to lead our business in the largest Sport & Entertainment market in the world," Henderson said. "We already have strong specialist expertise in the U.S. and outstanding Sport & Entertainment capability across Howden, globally. Bringing those strengths together gives us a formidable proposition for our clients."
Practical implications for event organisers and talent
By assembling those fragmented specialty lines into a single broking framework, Howden aims to reduce the risk of unintended gaps where separate policies fail to dovetail. Mike Parrish, chief executive of Howden Americas, highlighted Henderson’s relationships and technical background as the means to give local clients access to international broking experience that many domestic competitors do not offer.
- Leadership: Robbie Henderson named head of US Sports & Entertainment, based in New York.
- Objective: Expand Howden’s US presence and link US operations with its global network.
- Rationale: Address overlapping and escalating risks across live events, media and sport.
The decision reflects a strategic push into the domestic specialty retail market. Howden described the effort as part of a broader initiative to unify expertise and deliver more integrated placement for clients whose activities span multiple jurisdictions and lines of cover.
| Typical coverages | Examples of exposures |
|---|---|
| Broadcast rights protection | Losses arising from interrupted transmission or rights disputes |
| Event cancellation / non-appearance | Cancelled shows, performer no-shows, weather-related closures |
| Public liability / prize indemnity | Physical injury, third-party claims, contest prize guarantees |
Market context
The US represents a large and sophisticated market for sport and entertainment insurance, where events frequently involve cross-border elements such as international tours and global broadcast agreements. Howden’s approach seeks to marry local market knowledge with the firm’s global technical expertise, enabling more seamless support for clients operating at scale.
Howden’s announcement stops short of detailing immediate staffing or market-share targets in the United States, but the broker’s stated intention is to remove the fragmentation that can arise when specialist lines are placed independently. For promoters, rights holders and talent managers, that message will be particularly salient: a single major event often requires multiple layers of cover and a coordinating broker to align them.
Whether the new practice will materially shift market dynamics will depend on Howden’s ability to translate international capability into demonstrable advantages for US clients — for example by simplifying placements, broadening capacity and reducing blind spots in coverage. For now, the broker has signalled a clear strategic commitment to the sector by putting an experienced international specialist in charge on US soil.
