Clarkson PLC,

trading as A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

Clarksons, is a provider of shipping services, and is headquartered in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

.Clarkson PLC Acquisition of Gibb Tools Limited - WSJ.com
/ref> In 2011,

Lloyd's List ''Lloyd's List'' is one of the world's oldest continuously running journals, having provided weekly shipping news in London as early as 1734. It was published daily until 2013 (when the final print issue, number 60,850, was published), and i ...

described the company's shipbroking service as the "undisputed heavyweight of the shipbroking market". It is listed on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

and is a constituent of the

FTSE 250 Index The Financial Times Stock Exchange 250 Index, also called the FTSE 250 Index, FTSE 250, or, informally, the "Footsie 250" , is a stock market index that consists of the 101st to the 350th mid-cap blue chip companies listed on the London Stock ...

History

The company was founded by Horace Anderton Clarkson in London in 1852. The son of a prosperous lawyer, he invited Leon Benham, a former colleague, to join him in

partnership A partnership is an agreement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations. Organizations ...

. Benham's son Henry soon joined the business. In the 1850s the business involved

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on Mast (sailing), masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing Square rig, square-rigged or Fore-an ...

s, but by the 1860s the company was chartering

steam ship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The fir ...

s. In 1872 Clarksons became shipowners with the acquisition of three

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

s. The company became the world's largest tanker broker in 1929 when

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (from the phon ...

appointed Clarksons as its exclusive shipbroker. The first overseas office opened in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1954. Offices soon followed in France, Australia and Germany, and in the 1960s, South Africa and Greece. Expansion in the Far East began in the 1990s when companies were established in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. Carron Greig became joint

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

in 1962, served as chairman of the shipbroking division from 1972 to 1985, and as chairman of the whole group, then known as Horace Clarkson, until his retirement in 1993. He was credited with transforming the group into a world leader in its field. The company became a global force and Greig increased its business, especially with Esso, bringing in Brazil, Norway and the Far East to its portfolio. He also fought off Russian and English corporate raiders in the 1970s. The company spun off various diversified assets as Shipping Industrial Holdings in 1974. Michael Wade, a prominent insurance executive, sat on the

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ...

from 1984 to 1993 and

Peter Parker Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...

, a leading industrial executive, sat on the board from 1971 until 1993. Richard Fulford-Smith became chief executive of the company in 2004. According to Robert Wright of the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', he was central to Clarkson's emergence as the world's largest sale and purchase shipbroker. Fulford-Smith was ousted from the board in 2008 after Russian litigation claims emerged against the company. Until March 2012,

Martin Stopford Martin Stopford (born 1947) is a British economist and has had careers as a teacher, writer, information provider and business manager. Stopford is regularly quoted by ''The Economist'', the ''Financial Times'', ''Bloomberg'' and'' Lloyds List ...

, a prominent economist, sat on the board and was head of the research arm of the company. In 2013, Clarkson acquired Gibb Tools, a

North Sea oil North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid petroleum and natural gas, produced from petroleum reservoirs beneath the North Sea. In the petroleum industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian ...

engineering tools supplier, for £12.7 million. In 2015, Clarkson acquired RS Platou AS, a Norwegian headed shipbroking and investment banking group.

Operations

Clarkson operations are divided into four areas: broking, financial, support and research. The company brokers vessels for some of the world's largest producers and traders of natural resources. Clarkson Research Services focuses primarily on the collection, validation, analysis and management of data about the merchant shipping and offshore markets. The

chief executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

since 2008 has been Andi Case. William (Bill) Thomas held the position of chair between February 2019 and March 2022. Laurence Hollingworth has held a board position since July 2020 and was appointed to chair in March 2022. The company has its headquarters at Commodity Quay,

St Katharine Docks St Katharine Docks is a former dock in the St Katherine and Wapping ward of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies in the East End of London, East End on the north bank of the River Thames, immediately downstream of the Tower of London an ...

, London. Clarksons is best known for its shipbroking but also operates port services, and maritime technology services.

References

{{Authority control Shipping companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Shipbroking companies British companies established in 1852 1852 establishments in England Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange Transport companies established in 1852 Companies in the FTSE 250 Index