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)?
I got into licensing a little by accident, as many of us do. After a 20-year career in fashion buying, I was ready for something different, but I didn’t know exactly what. I knew I was looking for professional development, to work with inspiring and creative people, and to be within a business whose values sat close to my heart. And that was when I was approached by the LEGO group for what I didn’t realise at the time was my dream job—and, as they say, the rest is history.

What’s a “typical” day in your current position?
I don’t think there is such thing as a typical day in my job. The only constant is that I can’t function without coffee! I have the privilege of leading our partnerships across the LEGO portfolio, spanning the most diverse array of brands imaginable, meaning that every day is different and often unpredictable. I am lucky to have the most brilliant and talented team, and they are the drivers and brains behind creating value throughout our portfolio of partnerships. There is a lot of travel involved, from partner meetings to licensing shows, and from grand Prix’s to set visits. I can find myself jumping from working on our long-term strategy plans with Ferrari or Mclaren to negotiating new partnership agreements (I can’t say with who) to reviewing a new theatrical script from Disney or planning our next marketing activation with Minecraft.

What’s your biggest personal or professional accomplishment?
I would site our F1 partnership as a major team accomplishment. It would have been (reasonably) simple to craft a regular licensing deal with F1, however from the outset we have aligned on the principle that our partnership is so much more than producing amazing products together, but also generating mutual brand value. We have challenged each other as brands to work differently and in new spaces, pushing the boundaries of what a partnership can mean. We launched our partnership with an amazing activation on the Las Vegas sphere last year, and then somehow topped that with the LEGO drivers parade in Miami in May, which gained a reach of over 12.5 billion.  We are now playing a key role in engaging a younger and family audience in F1, whilst bringing more fans globally into the LEGO ecosystem through their passion and fandom for the sport.

What are the most significant trends or changes that you’ve seen in the business in recent years?
Kids are growing up faster—it’s a cliche but it’s true. The immediacy of their access to content and social media has manifested in age being less binary, and passions and fandom being more central to their tastes and demands. Whilst trends and crazes come in and go out faster than ever, deep fandom resonates more. It’s been fascinating to track the impact of talent and influencers as they become brands in their own right. The shift in content consumption and social media has challenged us to be more agile and creative in our approach, and I’m so inspired by what our teams come up with each day to stay ahead of this.

What keeps you up at night? What’s your biggest challenge these days?
Staying relevant with kids. We know we need to fight harder for their time when they are consumed by social media and gaming. Meeting them where they are, and knowing where they will be in three to five years’ time, is becoming increasingly difficult. This is especially true when there is now so much immediacy in their demands and we are balancing that with manufacturing toys with a relatively long lead time.

In your opinion, what is the top skill every licensing executive should have in order to succeed?
Relationship building, without a doubt. It’s at the core of what we do and how we make the impossible possible with our partners.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, or what’s your favorite quote?
My current boss, Jill Wilfert (aka LEGO film boss) has given the best advice to me over the years, which is to stop ruminating! I’m a self-confessed perfectionist, and sometimes you need someone to remind you it’s okay for things not to go quite to plan, and that you can learn from it and move on.

What is your favorite licensing deal of all time? (It doesn’t have to be one that was signed by you.)
It’s impossible to pick a favorite—there are so many. Our relationship with Disney is incredibly special and has a lot of history. Being strategic partners, we work together across multiple facets of our businesses, including licensing entertainment content, theatrical marketing, and gaming. Our partnership with F1 has been cutting edge and is engaging a whole new fan base, extending way beyond licensing. We have also recently launched with Bluey within the preschool space, which is a super hot property and also has values closely aligned to our own.

If you weren’t in licensing, what would you be doing now?
I’d probably be in the gym too much!

The last licensed product I bought was…
A Nirvana t-shirt.