Licensing International Announces New Board Members

Seven licensing industry executives are joining the Licensing International Board of Directors for three-year-terms, effective July 1.

The trade organization has elected Dean Allen, Veronica Hart, Steven Heller, Holly Rawlinson, Milin Shah, Malaika Underwood, and Maarten Weck to serve on its board.

“I’m pleased to welcome the seven new members of our Board, whose invaluable and diverse experiences will help Licensing International foster the growth and expansion of brand licensing around the world,” said Licensing International President Maura Regan. “I’d also like to thank the outgoing members of our Board for their time and dedication — Liza Abrams, Naz Amarchi-Cuevas, Sam Ferguson, Bill Patterson, and Jason Sutton.”

As Chief Merchandising Officer of Mad Engine Apparel since 2018, Allen holds more than 20 years of experience in the apparel industry. He previously served as Executive Vice President for the company from 2014-2018 and before that spent 16 years as an apparel buyer for Walmart.

Heller is a trademark and licensing attorney who founded licensing and brand management agency The Brand Liaison. Heller has earned the nickname “The Professor” from his public speaking engagements and experience as a professor of business and law. Throughout his 30-year career, his roles in the industry have ranged from launching new brands to representing both brand owners and manufacturers in licensing deals.

Rawlinson, the GM of Business Development for Spirit Halloween and Spencer Gifts, is a past recipient of Women in Toys’ “Wonder Woman” and “Licensing Executive of the Year” awards. She now leads the licensing division of Spirit Halloween/Spencer Gifts and serves as GM of the company’s wholesale division, InSpirit Designs. Throughout her career, she has taken on licensing roles at DreamWorks, Paramount Studios, Mattel, and Pokémon; in her last leadership position, she oversaw the launch of e-commerce site FanShop for NBCUniversal’s Fandango movie ticketing division.

Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Isaac Morris and Culture Fly, Shah was named a Licensing International “Rising Star” in 2015 and recognized by the License Global “40 Under 40” list in 2019. Before joining IML and Culture Fly, he worked for Earthbound Brands and Bradford License in India. Shah is a graduate of Seton Hall Law School with a concentration in IP and entertainment and is currently admitted to the New York and New Jersey Bar Associations.

Underwood is the Senior Vice President of Licensing at OneTeam Partners, where she oversees the company’s growing licensing business and positions the company to provide value to college athletes amid the changing NCAA landscape. She was recently one of Sports Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and has worked for The Brandr Group, IMG Licensing, and the Collegiate Licensing Company.

Currently the EVP and Managing Director of licensing agency WildBrain CPLG, Weck holds over 20 years of industry experience. Weck has been with the agency for over 13 years, formerly as Managing Director for Northern Europe, the U.K., Nordic, Central and Eastern Europe, and Benelux territories. His roles prior to joining WildBrain CPLG include management positions at Memphis Belle, the Cookie Company, and Keesing.

Source: ANBMedia