Leigh Ann Schwarzkopf has had the honor of helping companies large and small, across virtually every product category, to thrive in the $292 billion licensing business.

The business model she devised for Project Partners Network is unique and unrivaled. Based on her diverse industry experience, which includes 20 years with a respected apparel licensee, followed by six years establishing a global licensor’s licensing department, Leigh Ann has accumulated a rich tapestry of skills to help guide companies stemming from all segments of the licensed merchandising community.

While not currently a retailer, licensor, licensee, or agent, Leigh Ann and Project Partners Network executives are recognized for their past and current expertise in these areas, as well as in adjacent categories that help bolster the success of any licensed merchandising effort. A global licensing perspective is what Project Partners Networks delivers. Not just in terms of being able to flow easily into international trade dealings (an area in which Project Partners happens to excel), but also in the ability to canvass, assess, integrate, synthesize, and capitalize on all the systems, practices, and nuances that make a licensing alliance seamless and successful.

Clients of Project Partners Networks’ range in scope from Fortune 50 corporate brands to new-to-licensing start-ups, much like the diverse types of companies Leigh Ann helped secure success while she forged her corporate career path.

Before launching Project Partners Network in 2008, Leigh Ann led the General Mills trademark licensing team for six years, overseeing the Betty Crocker, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Wheaties, and Cheerios brands.  During that time, she tripled the licensee base for several properties, integrated Pillsbury’s properties into General Mills’ portfolio during the billion-dollar food giants’ merger, redeveloped the company’s licensee summits, and structured programs to improve licensees’ start-up and speed-to-market time. Previously, Leigh Ann spent 20 years at apparel manufacturer Kid Duds, where as VP, Marketing, she broke company sales records, managed all in-bound licensing, and managed product development.

Leigh Ann is known as a pioneer in establishing industry-wide best practices. Leigh Ann “literally wrote the book” on how to measure the success of licensed merchandise programs. See License Metrics, authored by Leigh Ann and Project Partners’ co-founder Lynn Scott; considered by many the business bible on how to gauge the effectiveness of a licensed merchandising program. While Lynn has since retired from Project Partners, she still is engaged in an advisory capacity.

Leigh Ann recently chaired the Education Committee for the industry trade association Licensing International  (formerly LIMA), and today she serves as its Regional Ambassador.

Teresa Andreoli

Teresa Andreoli has been researching, writing, and editing business articles and presentations for more than 30 years. She started as an associate editor at Discount Store News and soon after became a founding editor of License! (now known as License Global).

Zoë Denison

Zoë Denison has been capturing and synthesizing international retail trends for Project Partners Network since 2017. 

Reporting from Paris, Zoë honed her ability to identify and translate meaningful European merchandising trends. 

 Today, back in the US, Zoë  continues to track powerful merchandising strategies. But she has extended her search deep into the customer journey, seeking brand-defining actions and opportunities at every touchstone.

"I'm drawn to innovation... in color strategy, in packaging techniques, in merchandising whether it's in-store or through a digital experience. I'm drawn to companies that use innovation to create the omnichannel feeling."

Kelly Piller