UBM Licensing Group Ups Steven Ekstract, Howard Gelb

The industry veteran has signed on to support the company’s new approach to media and events.

NORTH AMERICA–The Global Licensing Group at UBM, the industry’s leading trade show organizer and media partner, has promoted Steven Ekstract, group publisher of License Global, to serve as the group’s brand director.

In the newly created brand director role, Ekstract will drive brand and product strategy for all of the Global Licensing Group’s properties. Ekstract, who has been a leading voice in the industry and founded License Global magazine, is often tapped as a thought leader to provide his insights and forecasts on the licensing business. In addition to identifying opportunities for brand growth and acting as the market-facing voice of the Global Licensing Group, Ekstract will continue to oversee the production of License Global.

Meanwhile, Howard Gelb, vice president of sales, Global Licensing Group, UBM, will undertake an expanded role, overseeing both media and event sales for the group’s portfolio.

Gelb brings 10 years of experience leading sales strategy development and building relationships with key members of the licensing community. He has extensive experience developing new revenue streams and managing robust sales teams and will bring this nuanced expertise into his expanded, cross-portfolio role supporting the media and event sales strategies as well as business development across the Global Licensing Group portfolio.

The new appointments complement the Global Licensing Group’s new focus on aligning its media and events businesses into one unified entity to better support the group’s shows and provide a more cohesive approach for its customers. The Global Licensing Group is responsible for Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo China, NYC Licensing Summit, License Global magazine, License Global Daily E-news and License TV.

“The licensing industry has been my key area of focus for the bulk of my career, and I look forward to leveraging my passion for the business to identify new and exciting ways to serve our key partners,” says Steven Ekstract, brand director, Global Licensing Group, UBM. “The Global Licensing Group is a leading resource for anyone interacting with the licensing world, and my goal is to continue to innovate on our offerings to ensure our customers have the tools, knowledge and opportunities to succeed in this industry.”