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)?
Licensing didn’t just find me; it was more like a mutual discovery. I’ve always been captivated by the power of brands, but what truly drew me to brand licensing was the alchemy of creativity and commerce. With an accounting and finance background, I’m hardwired to appreciate the business side of things, so when I realized you could take an iconic brand and unlock entirely new revenue streams through licensing, I knew I’d found my calling. It’s the rare space where art meets the balance sheet, and my clients benefit from having someone who speaks both languages fluently.

What’s a “typical” day in your current position?
There’s really no such thing as “typical” and, honestly, that’s what makes this practice so dynamic. My team and I operate at the crossroads of brand protection, clearance, enforcement, and monetization, delivering the full spectrum of brand-related legal services under one roof. One morning I might be deep in negotiations on a high-profile brand licensing deal; by afternoon, I could be strategizing on an anticounterfeiting operation or preparing for a federal court mediation. The throughline is always the client’s brand—protecting it, growing it, and making sure they stay several steps ahead of the competition. Our clients get a true partner, not just outside counsel.

What’s your biggest personal or professional accomplishment?
What I’m most proud of is the bigger picture: building a truly premier, multi-faceted brand practice from the ground up and assembling a world-class team that consistently delivers outsized results. We serve clients of all sizes, from ambitious startups to Fortune 500 powerhouses, across multiple industries and jurisdictions around the world. Our clients don’t just get legal advice; they get a strategic partner invested in their success. That kind of trust doesn’t happen overnight, and the fact that brands across the globe choose us for their most critical matters is the accomplishment I carry with me every day.

What are the most significant trends or changes that you’ve seen in the business in recent years?
Where do I start? The rise of AI is obviously the elephant in every room; it’s reshaping how brands create content, engage consumers, and think about IP protection in ways we’re only beginning to understand. Our team has been at the forefront of helping clients navigate these uncharted waters. Beyond that, I’ve seen a massive shift toward brands treating licensing as a core strategic function rather than an afterthought or a line item buried in a marketing budget. Companies are getting far more sophisticated about how they monetize their IP portfolios, and they’re seeking out advisors who can match that sophistication with creative, commercially minded deal structures. On the enforcement side, the explosion of eCommerce and social media has made counterfeiting faster, more global, and harder to contain, but it’s also given us better tools and data to fight back. We’ve developed cutting-edge strategies that leverage technology and cross-border coordination to protect our clients’ brands wherever they do business.

What keeps you up at night? What’s your biggest challenge these days?
Like many in this space, I’m fielding a constant stream of questions about artificial intelligence and how to contract around it. The fundamental challenge is drafting agreements for a technology whose capabilities and risks are evolving faster than the ink can dry. We’re essentially being asked to predict the future with some degree of certainty and write contracts for a landscape that hasn’t fully revealed itself yet. It’s equal parts exhilarating and challenging, and it’s exactly the kind of complex, high-stakes work our practice was built for.

In your opinion, what is the top skill every licensing executive should have in order to succeed?
Altitude. The ability to see a deal from 35,000 feet—to understand not just the clauses in front of you, but the broader business context, the relationships at play, and where the market is heading. It’s something I bring to every client engagement: the discipline to zoom out, see the full picture, and connect the legal strategy to the business outcome. Know your client’s business inside and out, and you’ll have a good idea when to push, when to concede, and when to walk away. That perspective is what separates competent counsel from a true trusted advisor.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, or what’s your favorite quote?
Your power is in the moment. It sounds simple, but it’s effective. Whether you’re in the middle of a tough negotiation, a pivotal client meeting, or even just a quiet moment of reflection, your greatest leverage is in the moment. Don’t dwell on what’s behind you or overthink what’s ahead. Show up fully where you are, and the rest tends to follow.

What is your favorite licensing deal of all time? (It doesn’t have to be one that was signed by you.)
I’ve been fortunate to help clients build licensing programs from soup to nuts, and everything in between, so it’s hard to single out just one deal. The truth is, I find genuine excitement in the unique wrinkles of every transaction; each one is an opportunity to deliver creative solutions tailored to a client’s specific goals. But if you put my feet to the fire, I’d point to those bigger, more strategic matters, the ones where you’re not just papering a single deal but architecting an entire brand monetization strategy from the ground up. There’s nothing quite like watching a client’s vision take shape across multiple partnerships and territories, knowing your team provided the legal architecture that made it all possible.

If you weren’t in licensing, what would you be doing now?
I’d probably be working on a tech solution of sorts, something that brings smarter, more process-driven solutions to the brand protection and licensing world. Having spent years in the trenches advising clients on these issues, I see so many opportunities to make the way we work faster, more transparent, and more efficient through technology. That entrepreneurial instinct informs how I run my practice today. We’re always looking for ways to deliver better, faster, and more cost-effective results for our clients. But if we’re going full fantasy here? I’d be somewhere off the grid, hiking a mountain trail or exploring a corner of the world I haven’t seen yet. Basically, if I’m not lawyering, I’d like to be adventuring.

The last licensed product I bought was…
A pair of Thomas the Tank Engine pajamas for my son, and the look on his face when he pulled them out of the bag said it all. That’s what this industry is about at its core: licensing takes beloved characters and stories and turns them into products that bring genuine joy to people of all ages. At the end of the day, knowing that the contracts we negotiate help make those moments possible is a pretty rewarding thing to be a part of.