Brand Central LLC, a global licensing consultancy headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Kentucky and New Jersey, announced the hiring of Liza Abrams to the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Manufacturer Representation and Brand Central Insights trend service. Abrams will be based in New Jersey and will report directly to Brand Central CEO, Ross Misher.
Abrams will lead Brand Central’s growing portfolio of industry leading manufacturers to acquire licenses that will help them grow their businesses in new and existing channels. Additionally, she will lead Brand Central Insights, the first customized, trend intelligence service in the licensing industry, which services media companies, IP owners, retailers and manufacturers.
Abrams comes to Brand Central from Sakar International, where she spent the past fifteen years focused on manufacturer representation, licensing strategy, and consumer products’ brand extensions. At Sakar, Abrams created global licensing programs across multiple consumer product categories including youth electronics, mobile accessories, children’s wheeled goods and fitness/wellness. Before her tenure at Sakar, Abrams worked for 4Kids Entertainment, known for representing global brands including Pokémon, Cabbage Patch Kids, World Championship Wrestling and more. Prior to her foray into licensing, Abrams spent a number of years working in the New York art scene at institutions including the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of American Folk Art, as well as galleries and the Big Apple Circus.
“Liza’s proven track record, stellar reputation and licensing expertise will be a welcome addition to Brand Central’s team as she elevates and accelerates our fast-growing manufacturer consulting and trend practice within the agency. As a licensing veteran and leader in our industry (currently serving as a Board Member of Licensing International,) Liza will leverage her broad network of relationships and experience to bear for our clients,” said Ross Misher, Brand Central CEO.
“I’m thrilled to join the Brand Central team during this period of immense growth for the company. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with a very diverse range of manufacturers, from established billion-dollar CPG companies to fast-growing e-comm companies,” said Abrams. “Clearly, Brand Central is well positioned to work with the right companies that will lead retail in the future in the fastest growing sectors. This exciting new challenge will allow me to work with many old colleagues in the industry and form new relationships as we scale our business.”