By Gary Symons
Pam Kaufman, the Paramount veteran who built the studio’s consumer products and experiences division into a $7 billion retail powerhouse, is stepping down after nearly three decades with the company.
Kaufman most recently served as president and CEO of international markets, global consumer products and experiences, where she oversaw licensing, franchise planning, retail sales, and brand expansion across six continents.
Her tenure is widely credited with elevating Paramount into a leading player in the global licensing and branded experiences sector.
Kaufman began her career at Nickelodeon in 1997 as its first Chief Marketing Officer, launching billion-dollar franchises including SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, JoJo Siwa, and PAW Patrol.
Building on that success, she was tapped in 2018 to lead Paramount’s newly formed global consumer products division, which for the first time spanned the entire corporate portfolio of Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, and Paramount Pictures.
By 2021, her role expanded to president of global consumer products and experiences, and a year later, her oversight grew again to include Paramount’s full international business. Throughout these expansions, licensing remained central to her strategy.
In a farewell memo to staff entitled “I’ve had the slime of my life,” Kaufman reflected on her career:
“Together, we built billion-dollar franchises,” she wrote. “We turned a yellow sea sponge into a global icon. We acquired and reignited the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, made Emily in Paris a must-have lifestyle brand, and built PAW Patrol into a top preschool brand.”
Kaufman also underscored how licensing diversified Paramount’s reach into fashion, gaming, and live experiences. “We hit fashion runways with designers from Stella McCartney to Gucci, and we stayed in the zeitgeist with collaborations that sold out in minutes, from Crocs to Supreme,” she said.
“Our gaming business enabled fans to create their own adventures like with the incredibly successful Star Trek Fleet Command, with 20 million downloads and counting. We graced Broadway and London’s West End with theatrical productions from Mean Girls to Sunset Boulevard. We expanded into award-winning hotels, resorts, theme parks, and live tours.
“In building out these world-class brands and franchises, we created a $7B retail business,” she added.
Kaufman’s work demonstrated the power of licensing to extend IP across industries and generations, ensuring Paramount’s properties remained active touchpoints in global culture. Her influence also extended outside the company, where she serves on the boards of Lindblad Expeditions, Stella McCartney, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
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While Kaufman is leaving Paramount, she made it clear she remains a fan, and wishes the studio all the best.
“I am excited to see what David Ellison, Jeff Shell, and the new leadership team have planned for the future,” Kaufman said. “While I am consulting through the end of the year, I leave with immense pride in what we have built and confidence in what’s ahead. I will always be rooting for Paramount, and I will definitely be first in line for the Top Gun Las Vegas experience.”
Kaufman’s exit comes as Paramount undergoes a wave of executive departures following the Skydance acquisition. With her almost unparalleled achievements in licensing, we have a feeling we’ll be writing soon of her next appointment.