The global licensing community is powered by an incredible group of professionals whose diverse backgrounds and creative energy drive innovation and excellence. Each week we profile one of these professionals in this ongoing series.

How did you get into licensing (or how did licensing find you)?
Throughout my career, I’ve had the honor of partnering with multiple companies via their unique brands. This includes classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer earlier in my journey in the seasonal gifts and novelties category as well as, more recently, globally revered brands like BBC Earth in the STEM and education segment. Licensing is an essential part of so many different cross-category opportunities—it’s hard not to get involved!

What’s a “typical” day in your current position?
Given I recently founded my agency after being a part of both large and small CPG companies for the last nearly two decades, my day now has been quite a bit of reconnecting and being re-inspired through a different lens. I continue to find ways to connect the dots for people and organizations and really bringing out the best that they have to offer by both spotlighting and challenging it with a renewed mindset.

What’s your biggest personal or professional accomplishment?
For me, the most rewarding moments always revolve around people. Sure, seeing products we have developed get diverse placement and sell through never gets old, but the people you battle alongside are the most important. That’s why I made a decision to put myself in a position where I can pick and choose my partners with whom I can scale and win together. I am proud of the relationships I have built throughout my career—always with a transparency-first and people-forward foundation—and I am excited to see how these relationships continue to evolve.

What are the most significant trends or changes that you’ve seen in the business in recent years?
Being authentic as a brand or business owner goes a long way. Not only in professional relationships, but even more importantly in today’s environment as businesses target the next generation of consumers. Their thirst to connect authentically with brands over and above a transactional level is an evolving movement to keep a close eye on. Whether it’s the ever-present nostalgic trend, or youth’s continued quest for ultra customization, these are all indications of the need to connect and belong. This intersection between consumerism and shifting societal pressures to outwardly be yourself is quite an interesting one. Organizations who can successfully engage with their consumers in a simple, authentic manner will be most adept at scaling their market share in the long term. 

In your opinion, what is the top skill every licensing executive should have in order to succeed?
Patience. Way easier said than done, especially given we are living in an always-on world. But a level of restraint is important to display for a team you’re leading, and crucial to practice as an executive making strategic decisions. 

If you weren’t in licensing, what would you be doing now?
Probably teaching languages at a university somewhere in France. That’s still in my plans but I’ve got time to age and learn!