By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Licensing International has announced the nine licensing professionals who will receive the 2025 Global Rising Star Award.
“Licensing International is thrilled to highlight the innovative young professionals who will become the future leaders of the global brand licensing industry,” said Licensing International president, Maura Regan. “We can’t wait to follow their careers as they continue to grow and we are incredibly thankful to our Rising Star committee members, who had the difficult task of selecting our recipients from among the best of the best.”
The 2025 Rising Star award winners include:
Fernanda Garcia, Licensing Manager at Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
Since joining Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Fernanda has been responsible for overseeing a portfolio of over 30 licensees and has secured more than 20 new partnerships in under two years.
She specializes in securing partnerships for the company’s character brands across the toys, hardlines, party and celebrations categories.
Fernanda first began her career in the legal field, where she gained skills in contract management, attention to detail and cross-functional collaboration.
Lisa Kobayashi, International Licensing Manager at Tact Communications, Inc.
Kobayashi first joined Tact Communications in 2018 and has built relationships with global licensors such as Kikkoman, The Smiley Company, Hormel Foods and Crayola.
As the company’s key liaison for Kikkoman, Lisa has worked with local sub-agents to coordinate licensing projects and strategy across Europe and Australia. She is currently applying the same approach for the brand in North America.
In addition, Kobayashi has expanded Tact Communications’ IP portfolio by securing new brands such as the Canadian game property Dead by Daylight, the Korean character brand MUZIK TIGER and bringing Crayola into the Japanese market.
Her career prior to joining the licensing industry involved deluxe hotel hospitality which honed her communication and cross-cultural skills.
Danté Johnson, Manager of Product and Licensing at Fanatics.
Johnson serves as a member of Fanatics memorabilia and collectible products team.
In this role, Danté manages the daily operations for the creation, distribution and reporting of licensed, authenticated memorabilia for the company’s Major League Baseball business.
His career began as a coordinator of brand management at Beanstalk, where he contributed to the establishment of global licensing programs for The Met, Kellogg’s and Atari.
Following this role, he worked as the licensing manager of hard goods at Major League Baseball Players Inc.
During this time, he was responsible for overseeing a portfolio of over 50 licensees.
Josh Bee, Senior Manager in the Contract Performance & Insight Advisory Group at KPMG LLP.
Josh Bee specializes in delivering quality royalty, distributor and licensing contract compliance reviews for clients around the world.
His portfolio of clients spans multiple segments of the licensing industry including global film studios, fashion houses, media companies, consumer brands and more.
Zoé Marty, Senior Marketing Manager at STUDIOCANAL Kids & Family.
Marty’s role at STUDIOCANAL Kids & Family focuses on leading the global brand and licensing marketing for the Paddington heritage brand.
Since joining the company in 2020, she has played a key role in expanding the international reach of the Paddington franchise by securing licensing collaborations, digital expansions and experiential activations.
Her specialties include international brand and licensing marketing across the fashion, lifestyle and gaming industries.
Tonian Ortega, Senior Brand Licensing Manager at The Joester Loria Group.
Ortega focuses on building partnerships and experiences for brands across the lifestyle, entertainment and retail sectors.
She has played a key role in shaping a variety of high-profile collaborations and retail programs throughout the course of her career.
This includes developing licensing deals for consumer brands and musical artists such as Toyota, Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, Hayley Kiyoko, Grateful Dead and more.
Prior to joining The Joester Loria Group, she gained experience working on licensed consumer products at Warner Music Experience.
Tyler Jubard, Manager of Business Development at Octane5.
Jubard’s first joined Octane5 in 2021 as a sales & marketing intern.
After joining the company in a full-time position, he held business development roles of increasing responsibility across Octane5’s entire portfolio of brand compliance products and services.
In his current role as business development manager, Tyler is responsible for leading the global rollout of the company’s Licensee Express Automation Platform (LEAP) to streamline its design and product replication services.
Marie Van Buggenhout, Senior Licensing Manager Softlines, FMCG, Retail & Promotions at Peyo Company.
With a focus on expanding The Smurfs IP, Van Buggenhout leads an international team that manages the Peyo Company’s retail, lifestyle and FCMG operations.
Marie oversees a portfolio of 168 fashion licensees globally and has negotiated collaborations with brands such as Emporio Armani, Supreme, Puma, Dsquared2, Butter Goods, Aape, American Tourister and Fenty.
Looking ahead, Marie is preparing to unveil several new projects for The Smurfs brand, including a confidential collaboration with a K-pop group and a partnership with The British Museum.
Francesca D’Ugo, Manager of Retail Marketing at BBC Studios.
D’Ugo is responsible for leading the retail marketing execution for BBC Studios brand portfolio in North America.
Working with brands like Bluey, Doctor Who and BBC Earth, Francesca develops and executes integrated retail marketing programs across mass, specialty and digital channels.
She has played a key role in expanding Bluey’s retail footprint across North America through partnerships with major retailers such as Walmart, Target, Amazon, Macy’s and FAO Schwarz.
Francesca regularly participates in industry events and webinars to further increase her knowledge in data-driven insights, business expansion strategies and more.
This year’s winners will be honored during a Hall of Fame Induction and Global Rising Star Awards gala event that will take place on December 3 at Gotham Hall in NYC. The event will also serve as a fundraiser for Licensing International’s scholarship program and the LI Foundation. Registration for the event is currently available online through the organization’s website.
Licensing International is a trade organization that is dedicated to expanding the brand licensing industry through an array of educational programming and global networking events. The organization currently includes more than 1,500 member companies in over 40 countries around the world.
The Licensing International Foundation was established in 2020 to expand the association’s charitable initiatives. The Foundation is focused on the education of future licensing leaders through the Scholarship Program, which awards grants to deserving individuals who are interested in a career in brand licensing.
Image Source: Licensing International.