Study will be used to establish new benchmarks for accountability and growth within the licensing industry.
Licensing International has announced its first global study of diversity in the licensing business community.
The study is the first initiative in an ongoing diversity and inclusion effort spearheaded by Licensing International’s new Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility (IDEA) committee.
The goal of the study is to collect and analyse global data to understand the current level of diversity in the licensing community and establish a benchmark for accountability and growth.
From the study, Licensing International plans to develop a best practices tool kit for its member companies to help them recruit, grow and retain staff with diverse experiences and attributes.
“Prioritising diversity and inclusion is instrumental to the current and future success of our industry, or any industry for that matter,” said Maura Regan, president of Licensing International. “We’re proud to bring a focused effort to improving our talent mix, starting with this study to show where the licensing industry stands and where there are opportunities for growth.”
The Licensing International IDEA committee – which is chaired by Jamie Stevens, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s evp consumer products and licensing – also plans to launch a diversity recruitment programme that attracts and grows a diverse talent pool right out of college.
Through partnerships with universities, the trade body aims to develop and implement a targeted internship programme, formalised mentorship opportunities and quarterly speaker series.
Jamie explained: “Leading such an important initiative on behalf of the global industry is an honour for me. More of the same is what hinders businesses from evolving and reaching full potential; recruiting and fostering talented professionals of all backgrounds – race, gender, religion and orientation – brings multiple perspectives to the table and yields more creative and compelling ideas.”
Licensing International is planning to share key learnings from the study with the licensing business community at a workshop this June.
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