IMC Licensing has acquired ThinkFire Trademark Licensing and appointed Carla Dearing as chief executive officer and managing director. Prior to the acquisition, Dearing was a Morgan Stanley executive, and IMC Licensing board member since 2003.

Upon acquiring the New Jersey-based brand licensing and advisory firm, veteran brand strategists Drew Kastner and Boris Peres, Ph.D. joined IMC Licensing as managing directors based in New Jersey.

“We are delighted to welcome Kastner, Peres and Dearing to the IMC team as we continue our aggressive growth strategy to extend our world-class capabilities and services,” says Stephen Reily, IMC Licensing managing director and chairman. “Kastner and Peres bring incredible synergies to our current continuum of service with their wealth of global trademark and copyright experience, the addition of ThinkFire clients, and their unique expertise in consumer research, market analysis and brand strategy development. Dearing’s strong business acumen and growth management experience will be an important asset to IMC as we pursue relationships with other trusted partners and continue to augment our full-service capabilities and grow our client base.”