Licensing Industry

Name:
Serena Sibbald

Time spent in licensing industry?
It will be 14 years in November.

First job in licensing?
My first job was with The Beanstalk Group in 1994. I left in 1996 to work for Guinness Publishing, and returned to Beanstalk in 1998.

What were your responsibilities?
My first job with Beanstalk was as category manager for Europe for Home and Housewares. We represented the Coca-Cola licensing programme. It was hard work having come from more of a creative background, but it was a great introduction into the industry.

Current job in licensing?
Associate Vice President of New Business at The Beanstalk Group.

What are your responsibilities?
I head up the new business team here – we expand our clients’ programmes in Europe and Asia. My particular area of focus is apparel.

What is your greatest achievement so far?
Watching the business evolve and grow, we now have over 20 clients including corporate brands, celebrities and fashion.

What is the best licence you have worked on so far in your career?
We have such a variety of clients here, that it would be hard to pick just one. We have, however, built successful apparel and accessories programmes for a number of clients, including Paris Hilton, Jaguar and Land Rover, and will be shortly announcing a major partnership for Vespa.

What licence would you most like to have in your portfolio?
I’d love to expand our fashion business. Consumers want to experience their favourite brands across all aspects of their lives, and licensing is the ideal business model that makes this possible.

If you could choose your dream job in licensing, what would it be and why?
This job comes pretty close.

What’s the best thing about working in the licensing industry?
Definitely the thrill of seeing an initial phone conversation on a potential licence transcend into product on-shelf – then seeing this develop into royalties. It fascinates me to see what makes the consumer take out his or her wallet and spend and seeing your convictions come true.
Last but not least, I’ll also add the people I work with. We have such a creative environment – it’s always great fun to come to work in the mornings.