In what has been a crippling 12 months for businesses across the globe, brand licensing specialist, The Point.1888, has demonstrated remarkable resilience and strength yet again with the appointment of executives to  fill five new positions.

The team expansion which will involve new roles in the Commercial, Product Development, Marketing and Legal divIsions is an exciting new stage but also very much a necessity as the company manages the increased attention and demand driven by an incredible 2020. As well as a busy calendar of hugely successful Virtual Immersion Events and record breaking product launches such as Barratt’s partnership with Iceland which sold 1.3m units in its first 12 weeks, two of its management team won the industry’s most prestigious awards – Managing Director Will Stewart with BLLA’s Brand Ambassador of the Year and Head of Retail Hannah Stevens with Licensing International’s Global Rising Star Award.

The newest members of The Point.1888 are:

• Katie Wilkinson, is joining as Senior Commercial Manager for Publishing. With 20 years’ experience in the publishing industry, she most recently worked in DJ Murphy’s children’s division, and last year secured the license to launch Blippi magazine.
• Amy Wickham-Hurd has been appointed as Creative Commercial Manager, reporting to Senior Commercial Manager for Home, Janine Richmond. She joins from eOne where she managed product development for Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom and Ricky Zoom, and prior to this she worked as a Buyer for Mothercare, Boots and Monsoon Accessorize.
• Sadie Wright joins as Product Development Executive from Santoro Licensing, reporting to Product Development Manager Carrie Sharland.
• Ellen Fazakerley has taken the newly created role of Marketing Executive, working under Head of Marketing Sarah Crimes and for the agency’s fast-growing Story.1888 division. She joins with brand agency experience of video production and content creation, as well as market research and focus group management.
• Kate Buitendach as Contracts Manager, joining The Point.1888’s legal team from Disney.

Will Stewart, Managing Director of The Point.1888 said, “We’re so excited to be growing our business, creating five new roles to meet the demand from clients and have these incredible, talented legends each bring something new to our team. This is a huge step forward for our business and will allow us to fulfil the many exciting plans we have for 2021.”

Each new appointment will be crucial for the company’s continued growth. In her new role, Katie will be focussed on securing the right partners to deliver new publishing opportunities that resonate with both consumers and retailers and help extend the brands the agency works with into new markets.  Amy’s role will be a hybrid of Creative and Commercial, allowing her to apply her knowledge and experience across the business while also getting involved in style guides and new collaborations.

As Product Development Executive, Sadie will be supporting the team in ensuring all items move smoothly through the development process and assisting The Point.1888’s partners in any way possible.  Ellen will be responsible for social media both for The Point.1888 and Story.1888’s clients. She will also be charged with upping the video content across the business and supporting Head of Marketing, Sarah Crimes. Kate will be working alongside Contracts Manager Lynne Chappel, initially focussing on the busy and ever growing Moonbug account.

No stranger to The Point.1888 having worked with them as a licensee for many years, Katie Wilkinson commented, “I always found their integrity, passion, expertise, honesty and ethos refreshing and inspiring.  When an opportunity to join them arose I was absolutely thrilled… a chance to work with a fantastic team on a diverse and hugely exciting portfolio of brands, exploring and developing products in the space I know and love.”

Commenting on her appointment, Amy Wickham-Hurd said, “I chose to join The Point due to the diverse and expanding portfolio of brands, such as the preschool phenomena under the Moonbug umbrella, iconic sports brands including Team GB and The British Lions, classic properties such as Moomins and carefully curated design brands like Miss Print and Jimbobart to name but a few. Not to mention a fantastic team that are pushing the boundaries within Licensing to bring innovative new products to market.”

Kate Buitendach commented, “When I discovered the company I was immediately impressed by the core values which align so strongly with my own. The Point.1888 is a company that does things differently, and for the right reasons, while embracing life/work balance in a way that is almost unheard of. Working at The Point. 1888 I can do my job well in a collaborative, friendly and understanding environment and be a mum without any guilt.”

Established in 2014, The Point.1888 delivers retail focused brand extension programmes by creating new products based on the gaps it sees at retail, rather than what it thinks the brand’s target demographic might like. This supports a higher chance of retailer buy-in and a better sales performance.