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 did licensing find you)?
Licensing found me! I was working at an entertainment agency where I headed up the youth division, working on family entertainment movies for studios such as Warner Home Video and Twentieth Century Fox as well as publishers and theatre producers.  I was always looking for ways to add value to campaigns and through that I built strong relationships with studio consumer products teams working on cross-promotions that extended the reach of a film beyond the screen. Over time, it became clear that many of those divisions and their licensees needed specialist PR representation. I could see the gap, and that’s when the idea for License to PR was born.

What does a “typical” day look like?
I work hybrid, so no two days are ever the same. Most days start with a team catch-up.  A lot of my time is spent nurturing new business leads, consulting clients, writing proposals, shaping campaign ideas, and thinking strategically about how brands show up in culture. Face-to-face is thankfully back, which makes a huge difference in such a relationship-driven industry. We’re often out on location viewing venues for the consumer events we produce, most recently a Harry Potter experiential pop-up in Soho and a jungle-themed influencer event for Dora in the Barbican’s incredible rooftop conservatory. And at least a couple of evenings a week involve calls with the U.S.

What’s your biggest personal or professional accomplishment?
Honestly, starting and staying in business for close to two decades. We celebrate 20 years next year, and as any small business owner will tell you, longevity is the achievement. I’m incredibly proud that we’ve retained clients long term and that much of our growth has come through word-of-mouth recommendation. Reputation matters deeply to me. Just as important is the culture we’ve built internally. We’ve worked hard to create a staff-centred environment where people feel well trained, well supported, and genuinely happy. They stay—and often return—which creates consistent, deep-rooted knowledge and long-standing relationships that genuinely enhance the work we deliver.

What are the most significant changes you’ve seen in the industry?
From a PR perspective, the biggest shift has been around integration and accountability. PR budgets have gradually merged into wider marketing pots, and now often sit within even broader retail-led strategies. Campaigns are expected to work harder and be more commercially measurable than ever before. There’s also been a shift from pure brand awareness to media coverage that delivers tangible ROI content that can directly correlate to product sales, footfall, or engagement, while still feeling authentic and not like a spoon-fed corporate soundbite. On the media side, the landscape has completely transformed. Digital-first strategies dominate, influencers have evolved into fully-fledged content creators and commercial partners, and in many cases, they now outnumber journalists at events. It’s a different ecosystem: faster, more immediate, and more democratised.

What keeps you up at night?
Like most founders, I think about where the next client will come from and whether both our clients and our team are genuinely happy. The sales cycle in our world can be long, moving from initial conversation to signed contract can take months or sometimes years, so patience, resilience, and knowing your value are essential. And, of course, ensuring campaigns deliver real value in an increasingly commercially driven environment keeps us sharp. Ultimately, that challenge pushes us to be better and more strategic.

In your opinion, what’s the top skill every licensing executive should have?
A sharp eye for trends, combined with the bravery and creativity to apply those trends in a way that keeps brands culturally relevant. Licensing sits at the intersection of culture and commerce. You must understand both and be confident enough to bring them together in interesting ways.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“It’s better to ask a stupid question than to make a stupid mistake.” That mindset has served me well throughout my career.

What is your favourite licensing deal of all time?
There are a few that stand out. Back in the day, Junk Food T-shirts were practically an office uniform. They were years ahead of their time pushing licensed apparel into ubiquity with design-led thinking and standout packaging before that was the norm.  We also had a lot of laughs around Tickle Me Elmo when my children were younger. More recently, the McDonald’s x Friends collaboration was a brilliant example of cultural nostalgia executed commercially. It evolved an established concept, the Happy Meal, and leaned into the kidult trend and even the so-called “lipstick economy” in a clever, relevant way.

If you weren’t in licensing, what would you be doing?
On tougher days I’ve been known to joke that I should have been a midwife, but I suspect that’s simply a different kind of hard. I think I’d always end up somewhere that involves people, energy, and problem-solving.

The last licensed product you bought was…
Lots of LEGO (Nintendo Gameboy 10/10), many Funko figures, and tickets to The Traitors: Live Experience in London for our License to PR Christmas party, which was truly excellent. Immersive Everywhere have done an outstanding job. It was dramatic, slick and brilliantly executed. Even better, our very own faithful Di was part of the winning team!