Rare Entity today announced two significant additions to its capital team, appointing Michael Philipp as Senior Partner, Capital and Andrew Marks as Strategic Advisor. Alongside the appointments, Rare has engaged Philipp’s corporate advisory firm, Ambata Capital Partners, to lead its international business development and help scale global projects across its entities, originals and partnerships.
The appointments mark another milestone in Rare’s evolution as it builds a world-class bench spanning global finance, institutional investment, entrepreneurship and the creative industries. Philipp and Marks bring decades of international leadership across banking, investment management, sustainability and strategic growth, strengthening Rare’s capital function as the company builds toward a long-term, permanent capital base.
Founded by Dave Stewart, Dominic Joseph and Rich Britton, Rare is an artist-led venture group that owns, builds and accelerates culturally significant assets across music, sport, entertainment, experiences and technology. It comes to market at a singular moment, as cultural intellectual property crosses the threshold into a standalone institutional asset class. Rare’s model combines company building, strategic acceleration and investment in a single platform, sitting at the intersection of intellectual property, talent, technology, capital and community, and is built to turn cultural relevance into institutional-grade value while ensuring creators retain ownership, influence and long-term value.
Michael Philipp appointed Senior Partner, Capital.
Michael Philipp joins Rare as Senior Partner, Capital, bringing one of the most distinguished careers in international finance.
Philipp previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Europe, Middle East and Africa, and was a member of the Credit Suisse Group Executive Board from 2005 to 2008. Earlier in his career he was Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Asset Management and a member of the Board of Managing Directors of Deutsche Bank, where he helped build the firm’s global investment bank.
Since leaving Credit Suisse, Philipp has focused on investment advisory, sustainability and emerging markets. He is Managing Partner and Chairman of Ambata Capital Partners, Chairman of Reykjavik Geothermal, a global renewable energy developer delivering large-scale geothermal projects across emerging markets, and co-founded First Artist Bank with Dave Stewart, an initiative designed to give artists greater financial transparency, ownership and control.
Rare has also engaged Ambata Capital Partners to lead its international business development and assist in scaling global projects across the company’s entities, originals and partnerships.
Michael Philipp said: “Rare is creating a distinctive platform at the intersection of creativity, ownership and enterprise. The team is building ventures with the potential to shift value back toward artists, creators and IP holders while developing businesses with genuine global relevance. I am delighted to join as Senior Partner, Capital.”
Philipp will work closely with Rare’s founders to guide the company’s long-term capital strategy, strengthen its international partnerships and support the continued growth of Rare’s expanding portfolio of ventures.
Andrew Marks appointed Strategic Advisor.
Rare also announced the appointment of Andrew Marks as Strategic Advisor.
Marks is Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa Distribution and Managing Director at Artisan Partners UK LLP, where he leads the firm’s strategy and business development across the EMEA region, working closely with each of Artisan’s autonomous investment teams.
Over more than two decades, Marks has built extensive relationships with institutional investors, wealth managers, family offices and strategic partners throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Before joining Artisan Partners in 2011, he spent ten years with T. Rowe Price, holding senior leadership roles across institutional client relationships and business development in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Southern Europe and the wider EMEA region.
Andrew Marks said: “Rare has created a genuinely differentiated model that combines creativity with disciplined venture building and international ambition. The founders have assembled an exceptional team and a compelling portfolio of ventures. I’m excited to join as Strategic Advisor and support Rare as it continues its international growth.”
As Strategic Advisor, Marks will support Rare’s capital and international growth strategy, helping to strengthen strategic partnerships, expand its global network and advise on the continued development of the company’s growing portfolio.
What the founders said:
Dave Stewart, Co-Founder of Rare and Eurythmics, said: “Michael and Andrew each bring exceptional but complementary experience. Michael has built institutions at the very highest level of global finance, while Andrew has spent decades developing trusted relationships across the international investment community. Both understand that great ideas need the right leadership, partnerships and long-term thinking to flourish. As Rare continues to build ventures that empower creators and reshape the value chain, we’re delighted to welcome them both.”
These appointments continue Rare’s strategy of bringing together exceptional leaders from finance, investment, entrepreneurship and the creative industries to help build ventures that redefine how intellectual property is created, owned and commercialised. They also reflect a core conviction behind the company: that being the most trusted, artist and creative led partner in culture is a durable commercial advantage, opening access to the best deals and the strongest creators.
Dominic Joseph, Co-Founder of Rare, said: “Rare is building a new operating system for culture, where creativity comes first and exceptional businesses follow. Bringing together leaders of Michael’s and Andrew’s calibre reflects both the ambition of Rare and the scale of what we’re creating. Their experience, judgement and global networks will be invaluable as we continue to grow.”
Rich Britton, Co-Founder of Rare, said: “From day one we’ve believed that building world-class ventures requires world-class people. Michael and Andrew each bring a different perspective, but they share a deep understanding of leadership, strategic growth and long-term value creation. They strengthen Rare at exactly the right moment in our journey.”
