KEYNOTE: AHMAD NASSAR
President & Executive Director of the Tennis Players Association (PTPA) and CEO of Winners Alliance

Ahmad is the Founding CEO of Winners Alliance, a global, athlete-centric commercial powerhouse that safeguards, optimizes, and maximizes the collective brand value of premier athlete groups. He has built his career by dedicating himself to working with athletes and helping them generate more value from their professional careers. Prior to joining Winners Alliance, Ahmad served three years as Founding CEO of OneTeam Partners, and spearheaded the successful sale of OneTeam at a valuation of nearly $2B. Earlier in his career, Ahmad led NFL Players Inc. as President and helped grow the NFL Players Association’s marketing and licensing business into one of the largest for-profit licensors in sports, doubling annual revenue and payouts to players during his tenure. Ahmad is an alumnus of the University of Michigan and University of Chicago Law School.

JIM CAVALE
Founder & Chairman of Athletes.org

Jim Cavale’s mission is simple — to provide athletes with the tools needed to use this stage to set the stage for the rest of their lives. Jim grew up playing baseball and basketball in Syracuse, New York, before heading South to play baseball at the University of Montevallo (UM). God redirected his passion for athletics to entrepreneurship when he started NextSpex, a recruiting network for high school athletes and college coaches to connect. After Jim’s exit from NextSpex in 2010, he helped build Iron Tribe, a national fitness brand, with his mentor and business partner, Forrest Walden. After almost seven years, Jim was ready to build something new, serving his favorite group of people — athletes. In late 2017, Jim launched the INFLCR app to empower college athletes to build their brands on social media. INFLCR expanded with 200 college athletics partners, 2,000 college teams and 100,000 active college athlete users, and was later acquired in 2020 by sports tech titan Teamworks. Amid this success, Jim was named to ESPN’s list of “The 11 biggest power brokers and advocates shaping the future of college football,” and Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40.” As NIL disrupted college athletics in July 2021, INFLCR became the back office for the majority of NIL activity across America with more than $100M in NIL dealflow coming through in the first couple years. In August 2023, Jim stepped down as the CEO of INFLCR and began his new venture in Athletes.org. AO organizes college athletes into their own players’ association, with chapters specific to their sport and conference. The platform delivers on-demand support, a voice and group licensing NIL dealflow to member athletes in ways that have never been done in the long-term history of college athletics.

EVAN DAVIS
Gaming and Sports Practice Lead at Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld

Evan Davis heads the Gaming & Sports practice at Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC, where he advises on gaming and sports wagering law, including partnerships, market access, licensing, and regulatory compliance across U.S. jurisdictions. He has extensive experience in the industry, having previously served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Penn Entertainment, Inc., and General Counsel for Rivers Casino Philadelphia, where he helped launch sports wagering. Evan also held roles at SeventySix Capital Sports Advisory and major law firms like Dechert LLP and Pepper Hamilton LLP, and currently serves as a Sports Industry Affiliate for the UNLV Sports Innovation Institute. Evan has been recognized as a 2019 “Influencer of Law” by the Philadelphia Inquirer and as a “40 Under 40” honoree by both the Philadelphia Business Journal and Emerging Leaders of Gaming. He holds a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

IVAN ESMERAL
Chief Product Officer & Co-Founder of Podqi

Ivan Esmeral is the Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Podqi, an AI-powered platform revolutionizing how iconic brands protect and monetize their intellectual property. At Podqi, Ivan leads product development and strategy, creating technology that detects, evaluates, and mitigates IP infringement at scale. His core focus is empowering culture-defining brands to identify and remove unlicensed goods online while uncovering new revenue opportunities through legitimate brand expansion. Prior to founding Podqi, Ivan built enterprise software solutions at Microsoft, where he gained deep expertise in developing technology for complex business challenges. His entrepreneurial journey began at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a degree in Computer Science with minors in Entrepreneurship and Fine Arts. Outside of work, Ivan enjoys watching soccer, lifting weights, and riding his bike around San Francisco with his co-founders.

KAREN DERTINGER
Managing Director at The Ohio State University

Karen Dertinger is the Managing Director of The Ohio State University Trademark Licensing Program, an independent licensing program for the state institution. She is also an alum of the university with a dual business degree in business administration and marketing. Karen is responsible for the programs strategic vision and business operations; including internal and external oversight for brand stewardship encompassing the academy, medical center, athletics and the alumni association. In addition to the university’s extensive trademark portfolio and brand enforcement. In the past 25 years at Ohio State, Karen has witnessed program growth from $70 million to over $250 Million brand value at retail. In addition to Licensing International and SPLiCE, Karen has been a long-standing member of International Collegiate Licensing Assocaiation, serving the Board of Directors for 8 years and now joining the esteemed ranks of Past President of that organization.

MATT DUNN
President & Chief Technology Officer of Octane5

Matt Dunn is the current Co-President and Chief Technology Officer of Octane5, a leading provider of brand compliance and licensing management solutions. A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Matt co-founded Octane5 in 2009 and has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s technology strategy and product innovation. As the driving force behind BrandComply and Octane5’s suite of technology solutions, Matt leads the development and continuous enhancement of the company’s platforms, ensuring they meet the evolving needs of brands, licensors, and licensees worldwide. In addition to overseeing product innovation, he also spearheads internal systems architecture and manufacturing operations, reinforcing Octane5’s reputation for cutting-edge, reliable solutions in the licensing industry.
Beyond his professional achievements, Matt has also earned a distinguished title in another fiercely competitive arena—the Octane5 Fantasy Football League. As a two-time champion, he has demonstrated the same strategic thinking and analytical prowess on the virtual gridiron as he does in the boardroom.

ELIZABETH FOSTER
Director of Content & Communications at Licensing International

Elizabeth Foster leads editorial planning and development for Licensing International, along with media relations and social media strategy. Based in Toronto, she has more than a decade of experience in journalism, starting her career in newspapers before making the move to magazines. Previously working at Thomson Reuters, she most recently served as Copy Chief & Special Reports Editor at Kidscreen, the leading international trade publication serving children’s entertainment professionals, with a focus on content examining licensing and brand expansion.

GERMAINE GIOIA
President of Playlife Co.

Germaine Gioia is a veteran business development executive with a demonstrated 25+ year history of success in the interactive and licensing industries, specializing in premier sports, video game, and entertainment brand integrations. As the founder of Playlife Co., a licensing agency that represents premier sports, game, and entertainment brands, Germaine delivers a proven track record in negotiating and overseeing the evolution of lifestyle trends across game platforms and merchandise categories. Her expertise includes creating branded mobile, console, PC, and arcade games; developing licensed properties across media and merchandise categories; and cultivating strategic partnerships. Playlife Co. property representation currently includes Dorna Sports’ MotoGP; UIM E1 World Championships; Play Mechanix’ classic arcade game, Big Buck Hunter; Major League Wrestling (MLW); the premier Mexican luchadores and luchadoras of Masked Republic; Bruce Lee’s Masters of One original IP; and more. Before founding Playlife Co., Germaine led licensing and business development efforts for THQ and Capcom Entertainment, securing renowned IPs for game development, managing merchandising partnerships, and developing the companies’ owned, original properties across consumer product categories. Germaine holds a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and is an active member of Women in Games International, Women in Toys (WIT), and Licensing International. She also advises several emerging technology platforms supporting branded game partnerships.

ANDREA GREEN
Advisor and VP of North America at Products of Change

Andrea Green is a founding member of Products of Change and serves as one of their consulting advisors and VP of North America. Having spent the last 30 years as a licensee (Brazos, Jerry Leigh), licensor (World Poker Tour, Activision, Zag), and a sustainable business consultant (Globally Green, POC, Spin Master), her passion is to make the business case for how our global licensors, consumer goods manufacturers and retailers can transform their companies and brands with a more sustainable focus; mitigating risk, increasing their value, and staying relevant with retailers, employees, and consumers.

VERONICA HART
Chief Growth Officer at RWS Global

Veronica Hart is the Chief Growth Officer of RWS Global. In this role, she leverages her extensive experience in franchise planning, global licensing, strategic planning, retail and brand positioning to guide and elevate the company’s marketing and business & client strategy along with its licensing and retail & merchandising capabilities across all markets. Her primary focus is spearheading the company’s efforts to unlock new revenue opportunities with large-scale IPs. With over 25 years of experience as a cross-disciplinary corporate leader, Hart has demonstrated success in driving sales, operations and licensing for multinational corporations. Hart has held executive leadership roles at Paramount, HIT Entertainment, Sesame Workshop, The Jim Henson Company, CBS Studios and CBS Consumer Products, where she built the first-ever franchise division for the company. She also handled publicity for The Muppets at the Jim Henson Company and marketing and public relations at Sony Wonder. Throughout her career, she has honed her skills in franchise planning, global licensing, operations, creative and marketing, leading strategic planning, brand positioning and retail and marketing efforts across key markets. Prior to joining RWS Global, Hart founded HARTstring Entertainment, providing strategic advice on brand building, business development and marketing to maximize partners’ commercial impact. She currently serves as Chair of the Board for Licensing International, the official industry association at the center of the multi-billion-dollar worldwide licensing community.

STEVEN HELLER
President of The Brand Liaison

With degrees in both law and accounting, and a 30+ year career in licensing and business development, Steven Heller leads award-winning licensing agency, The Brand Liaison, with over $1 Billion Dollars in branded product sales annually. Throughout his career, Steven has been active in all aspects of business and licensing including licensing top fashion brands, celebrities, professional and collegiate sports and top character and entertainment properties and has worked with virtually every major US retailer. Also known as “The Professor,” Mr. Heller is a renown public speaker and a professor of business and law at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Mr. Heller graduated cum laude in the top 5% at Fordham Law School, 1991 and graduated SUNY Albany in 1987. Mr. Heller is a licensed attorney and member of the New York bar, and currently sits on Global Licensing Group Advisory Board and previously on the Board of Directors of Licensing International.

D.J. KAZMIERCZAK
SVP of Operations at Panini America

D.J. Kazmierczak, SVP of Operations with Panini America, is an accomplished sports-business sales and product development veteran. He originally worked in sports television as an on-air talent and award-winning producer. He transitioned into the sports trading card industry over four decades ago and has served in executive roles overseeing customer relationships, licensing management, product development, and new business growth. D.J. joined Panini America in August 2012 and currently oversees a team of 180 employees in the product, sales, and production areas of the business.

ALEX KERMAN
Senior Director of Business Operations & Research at the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA)

Alex Kerman oversees SFIA’s premier research initiatives, including The Physical Activity Council survey, which tracks participation rates across 124 sports and activities in the United States, and The State of the Industry survey, which provides a comprehensive overview of the sports and fitness industry’s performance and key issues. He also directs the Soccer Industry Council of America and the Pickleball Council, where he collaborates with leading brands and governing bodies to address industry challenges and enhance the sports for everyone. Additionally, Alex leads SFIA’s research committee, spearheading various projects to advance the organization’s research goals. In his role, he also manages business development efforts, focusing on event registration, research revenue, and attracting new members. Alex frequently engages with SFIA members and delivers insightful presentations on the sports and fitness industry. He joined SFIA in 2015 and holds an M.P.S. in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University and a B.S. in Business Administration from American University.

JOHN KNUDSON
Owner of Coleman House

John Knudson is a Brand Activation Strategist and owner of Coleman House, a multi-platform event services company. Over a 30-year career, John has overseen the retail effort for some of sports/entertainments’ most prominent events; including the Super Bowl, World Series, CFP National Championship, and Taylor Swift Eras Tour. He’s collaborated with Nike, Adidas, Champion, and New Era, all while helping retailers tell their brand stories. Having led three successful companies, over 1,000 onsite event activations, and nearly $300MM in event-driven revenue, John identifies with the passion felt by fans and participants alike and knows how to tap into that intensity, translating it into a retail experience worth commemorating. Beginning his career in Atlanta, John developed hot-market programs for retailers across the country: from the Atlanta Braves World Series runs of the early ‘90’s, the Dallas Cowboy’s Super Bowl appearances in the mid ‘90’s, and the Houston Rockets back-to-back NBA Finals titles. John formed Team Retail Solutions in 2004; a retail consulting company, helping sports properties define their gameday retail footprint. TRS later expanded to the stadium retail concessionaire space, representing the US Open, Davis Cup, Villanova University, the Valspar Championship, and over forty NCAA Bowl Games over a 13-year span. Teall Capital acquired Team Retail Solutions in the summer of 2017, naming John Executive Vice President of the newly formed Dyehard Fan Supply. With DFS, John led a purchasing division responsible for 20+ properties and over 500 events. John formed Coleman House in the Summer of 2020 as a multi-platform event services company, offering consulting, event management, and licensing services to over 60 unique events and properties annually. A current cross section of Coleman House managed properties include the Super Bowl, CFP National Championship, Daytona 500, DC Open, over a dozen pro sports franchises, and Grand Slam Track. John and his wife Amy are the proud parents of two boys and make their home in Winston-Salem, NC.

LAURAANN LAMANDO
Founder and CEO of FanGirl Fashionista

LauraAnn Lamando is the Founder and CEO of FanGirl Fashionista, a brand dedicated to creating stylish, well-fitted apparel for female sports fans while championing the support of female athletes. Before launching FanGirl Fashionista, LauraAnn built an impressive 25-year career leading and managing global sports merchandise and retail marketing programs for renowned organizations such as Foot Locker, The Coca-Cola Company, Paramount, FIFA, and two Olympic Games. Her experience extends to working in fashion for Ann Taylor and Ralph Lauren and brand merchandising and manufacturing for the Sundance Film Festival and Peanuts Worldwide. As a former athlete with a deep passion for sports, fashion, and equality, LauraAnn founded FanGirl Fashionista to merge these passions and advocate for greater equity in women’s sports. By bringing fashion to the stands, she aims to redefine the sports merchandise experience for female sports fans. LauraAnn resides in Los Angeles, California, with her two beloved fur babies, Max and Brooklyn.

RYAN OLLI
Senior Manager of Licensing at Winners Alliance

Ryan spearheads the execution and management of licensing partnerships on behalf of Winners Alliance and its partners. Prior to joining Winners Alliance, Ryan consulted brands and properties across various categories within sports, entertainment and culture for Wasserman. Earlier in his career, he worked with REP Worldwide, where he launched group licensing programs for the WNBPA, USWNTPA & MLSPA; and the NFLPA, where managed and developed licensing partnerships.

BILL PATTERSON
EVP, Product Authentication at Octane5

With over 20 years of experience in brand protection, sports, and licensing, Bill Patterson has collected a story or two. As Executive Vice President of Product Authentication at Octane5 International, Bill is responsible for driving growth in the product authentication market and setting strategy for Octane5’s partnership with Crane Authentication. His experience in sports licensing spans major U.S. sports, college, and international leagues and teams. Additionally, Bill has provided brand and royalty protection programs for global licenses in corporate, character, and media licensing. His career has spanned the industries of home improvement retail, direct marketing agencies, and video gaming, with responsibilities including advertising, marketing, direct-mail, communications, loyalty programs, brand management, and sales management.

LISA PIKEN
SVP of Merchandising Partnerships at NBA

As Senior Vice President, Merchandising Partnerships, at the National Basketball Association, Lisa Piken Koper oversees the day-to-day management of the apparel, sporting goods, footwear and accessories categories globally for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and USA Basketball. Her role includes managing licensing, merchandising, commerce and product development. Under her leadership, Koper has helped launch the NBA’s partnership with Nike, who returned as the league’s official on-court apparel provider in the 2017-18 season and has since extended the original deal by 12 years. She is also responsible for revamping the Hardwood Classics apparel and headwear collection and many of the NBA’s fashion collaborations such a Fear of God and Kith. Prior to joining the NBA in 2000, Koper worked in the circulation department at Brant Publications. Always passionate about sports, she previously worked as a production assistant for the NBA on TNT before switching career paths within the sports industry. She also worked on the game-night staff for the WNBA’s New York Liberty before joining the NBA first as an apparel licensing coordinator. Koper graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester. She is a native New Yorker, born and raised on the Upper West Side, and now resides in Brooklyn, N.Y., with her husband Andy and her two children Ava and Dylan.

MICHELLE PEREZ BARRUOS
General Manager of Feenix Studio

With over 20 years of experience at the intersection of gaming, sports, media, and entertainment, Michelle has built award-winning partnerships and launched digital experiences that have engaged millions of players worldwide. Her portfolio includes globally recognized IPs like the NBA, La Liga, Real Madrid, Fifpro, Ferrari, McLaren, Disney, Lego, and many more, transforming iconic brands into immersive, interactive experiences that captivate today’s digital audiences. In addition to client work, she contributes to educational programs like the Master’s in Sports Management at ISDE and the Barça Innovation Hub, where she teaches about licensing in sports and emerging technologies. As a respected speaker, educator and mentor, Michelle has been recognized as a Top Woman in Games and a Women in Games Ambassador, actively shaping the future of the industry.

MAURA REGAN
President of Licensing International

Maura Regan joined Licensing International in 2016 and assumed the role of President in July 2018, bringing with her more than 20 years of experience in the global brand licensing and media industries. Licensing International is the premier association for the global brand licensing industry, and Maura is responsible for leading the organization in fostering the expansion of licensing around the world and creating greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the business community at large. As the former Head of Global Consumer Products at Sesame Workshop, the home of Sesame Street, Maura drove the non-profit organization’s strategic commercial initiatives with a focus on delivering significant unrestricted revenue to support its overarching philanthropic goals. Prior to Sesame Workshop, where she enjoyed an exhilarating 17-year tenure, Maura held executive positions with MTV Networks, Scholastic Entertainment, and The Jim Henson Company.

TONI SCHUTTÉ
Senior Manager of Licensing at NFL

Toni Schutté is a Senior Manager of Licensing within the Consumer Products Department at the NFL. She joined the NFL in 2012. Currently, she manages the League’s Promotional business, oversees a portfolio of hardline licensees, and project manages marketing initiatives for NFL licensed products.
Prior to working in Licensing, Toni was a member of the NFL Brand & Retail Development team. Here Toni searched for opportunities to maximize the exposure and awareness of the NFL brand at the retail. Her responsibilities included maintaining key relationships with NFL Clubs & retailers, devising retail strategies, and creating experiential retail opportunities at NFL events. Prior to the NFL, Toni spent five years working at Sony Music Entertainment doing Non-Traditional Retail and Brand Partnerships. As traditional music stores started to become obsolete, Toni helped look for new outlets and opportunities to sell music in. On the Brand Partnership side, Toni helped create multi-platform marketing campaigns that leveraged music as a marketing tool. In 2007, Toni graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a bachelor’s in marketing. While at Nebraska, she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Toni earned an MBA and a certificate in Sports & Entertainment Studies from Iona University in 2010.

ANJELIKA TEMPLE
Chief Content Officer at Rebel Girls

Anjelika Temple is Chief Content Officer (CCO) at Rebel Girls, a certified B Corporation and global multi-platform empowerment brand dedicated to helping raise the most inspired and confident generation of girls. Rebel Girls purposefully creates content, product, and experiences to empower gen alpha girls and equip them with the knowledge and tools they need to thrive. As CCO, she leads the brand’s creative direction and oversees all aspects of content including video, audio, publishing, marketing and social media. Previous to Rebel Girls, Temple served as Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Brit + Co, where she spent a decade developing content, product lines, and experiences – building the brand from the ground up. Temple has consulted with numerous women-led and focused brands including Bobbie, Havenly, The Ellen Show, Michelle Obama’s PLEZi Nutrition, Dr. Becky’s Good Inside, and more. Temple lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two daughters.