Simon Fuller will be the recipient of the prestigious Peter Grant Award when the Music Managers Forum hosts its annual Roll of Honour dinner this Wednesday at the Intercontinental Hotel in London.
The British entrepreneur who created the “Idol” franchise and managed the phenomenon that was the Spice Girls, will receive the trade body’s top honor some 23 years after forming his music and management company 19 Entertainment, for which he is CEO.
The management arm of Fuller’s 19 Entertainment counts a string of celebrity clients including Annie Lennox and Carrie Underwood. The London-based group also has an exclusive global joint venture with soccer star David Beckham and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham.
Fuller sold the entertainment fiefdom to Robert Sillerman’s CKX back in March 2005 in a cash and stock deal worth £100 million ($192 million).
Previous recipients of the MMF award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in management, have included the Who’s manager Bill Curbishley, U2’s Paul McGuinness and Genesis’ Tony Smith. The award was established in 1996 in honor of the late Led Zeppelin manager, who passed away the previous year.
