18-year company veteran Allison Ames to helm the brand extension agency.

Beanstalk has appointed Allison Ames as its new chief executive officer as co-founder and current CEO, Michael Stone steps into the role of chairman. 

Ames will also retain her current position as president.

In her new role, Ames will oversee the strategic direction of the global agency and lead its growth efforts with an eye toward providing the most effective and comprehensive expertise on strategic brand extensions for its clients around the world.  She will continue to manage all operations of the agency worldwide.

“It has been a privilege to serve as CEO of Beanstalk for the past 10 years, following the acquisition of the agency by Omnicom. I am extremely proud of the entire team and our achievements,” says Stone. “For nearly 20 years, I have had the good fortune of knowing and working with Allison. We have been partners in establishing Beanstalk as a pre-eminent agency. Allison is one of the most talented brand licensing executives in the industry and has a vision and passion for leading that I am confident will take Beanstalk and its clients to new heights." 

Ames has worked alongside Stone for almost two decades. She began her career at Beanstalk in 1997 and has led licensing initiatives for diverse brands such as HGTV, Stanley Black & Decker, Purina, Airheads, the U.S. Army, Mary-Kate and Ashley, Salma Hayek and Danskin, among other key clients. She also re-introduced the manufacturer representation division of the agency, leading projects for key clients such as ConAgra, among others. Prior to her role as president, Ames was president of North America, in which she was responsible for all clients operating in the North American region, and oversaw Beanstalk’s business development and marketing departments.

"I am extremely honored to take the helm as CEO,” says Ames. “I am proud to call Michael a mentor and a colleague. Over the past 18 years, I have not only learned from Michael’s successful experience and accomplishments in the licensing world, but we have worked together to shape the agency into the culture it is today. Beanstalk is synonymous with strategic brand extension through licensing–a testament to the vision and expertise that Michael brought to bear on behalf of the agency and the impact he has had on the entire industry. There are many exciting initiatives in the near future for Beanstalk and I look forward to working with our extremely talented staff to continue to build our services and capabilities around the world.”