Kathy Ireland Shatters Glass Ceilings: kathy ireland® Worldwide, Now Highest Ranked Woman-Owned Company on License Global's Coveted Top 150 Global Licensors Annual List

HICKORY, N.C., June 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- kathy ireland® Worldwide (kiWW®) and its Chair, CEO and Chief Designer Kathy Ireland, were announced today by License Global Magazine at the #15th position on the world's 150 most successful top global licensors list. This ranking shatters the glass ceiling for women-owned businesses in the licensing industry, as Ms. Ireland is now the most highly ranked individual designer and sole female business owner to appear within the top 15 on the industry's most prestigious list. This honor is concurrent with Ms. Ireland being admitted to the Licensing Hall of Fame this year and Ms. Ireland, on behalf of kiWW®, receiving the ICON award by The International Home Furnishings Representatives Association (IHFRA). The ICON award is not given annually, only to an individual who has made highly significant contributions to the industry throughout the course of his or her career, and through selfless acts and service, the recipient of this award has displayed leadership traits to guide and mentor the future of the industry. The prior recipient of this award is Bob Maricich, the mogul who built a multi-billion industry out of the Las Vegas and North Carolina Home Markets, as well as enhancing the profile of the furnishings industry throughout the United States and in strategic instances, globally.

Ms. Ireland is a finalist for the IRF Champion Award, presented by the International Religious Freedom & Business Foundation Summit and led by Dr. Brian Grim. Ms. Ireland is a major bipartisan lobbyist for international human rights, bringing together Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Ms. Ireland also serves as International Youth Chair for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, which during her tenure has added global chapters. Ms. Ireland regularly breaks boundaries for women, as she is the only person to serve on both the NFLPA and WNBPA boards, as well as the Board of Advisors for Serena Williams. Ms. Ireland is an Ambassador for American Family Insurance, serving in this position beginning in 2012.

"American Family Insurance and its leaders Jack Salzwedel, Bill Westrate, Telisa Yancy, the Board of Directors, executives, colleagues and associates are one of the most extraordinary companies we have ever had the privilege of working with. They are game-changers. They teach us to 'Dream Fearlessly.' In the years we've worked together, we've watched their meteoric rise as a company of inclusion and service that ranks higher and higher each year in America's world-class Fortune 500. AmFam has taught us many lessons including to never place a ceiling upon our potential or our dreams," said Ms. Ireland.

Ms. Ireland is an Ambassador and Major Donor for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, Founding Ambassador of the Dream Foundation, first-ever and now former, National PTA Ambassador for Youth. Ms. Ireland is further honored as one of the top ten women's health advocates in America, and as such has opened more neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) than any other individual. This year, as an expansion of Ms. Ireland's health and wellness advocacy, the firm is opening kathy ireland® Recovery Centers throughout the nation for drug and alcohol addiction treatment.

Says Ms. Ireland, "It is humbling … greatly humbling to receive recognition for work that is being done by our extraordinary team and our nonprofit donor fund. None of this could have happened without the tireless effort of five generations of human beings who commit their lives to our values. Teach. Inspire. Empower. Make Our World Better."

kiWW® is a conglomerate made of multiple and diverse companies in entertainment: Ms. Ireland's companies have managed the careers of icons, including Vanessa Williams, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., whose new album Blackbird: Lennon-McCartney Icons (EE1/BMG), produced by Nic Mendoza and Executive Produced by Ms. Ireland, returned the legendary couple to the Billboard Charts for the first time in four decades. Ms. Ireland's firm has also guided the careers of Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Janet Jackson. Ms. Ireland's companies also include verticals in real estate, fashion, grooming, luxury resorts, weddings, furniture, home, lighting, ceiling fans, publishing, jewelry and much more. This fall, kiWW® is venturing into sponsorship of scripted television programming which is family-oriented. More details will be announced in July.

"As one of our dearest friends, Anita Pointer once wrote, 'We're so excited and not surprised at the amazing things that inspire us each day.' Without Kathy's genius and immeasurable work ethic, this would only be a dream," said Jon Carrasco, Worldwide Creative Director & EVP, and Stephen Roseberry, President & Chief Marketing Officer, of kathy ireland® Worldwide, in a joint statement.

kiWW's storied success began with its first client, still today-licensing partners and friends, Marilyn & John Moretz, co-CEOs Moretz Marketing, in 1993, followed by Clark Linstone of Pacific Coast Lighting and other prestigious companies, including Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway-owned, Nebraska Furniture Mart, led by the Blumkin family and Chairman, Irv Blumkin. Today, the conglomerate includes a relationship with Camping World and its CEO, Marcus Lemonis, that retail program is kathy ireland® Recreation & Adventure. Lee Mandelbaum, CEO Price Point Licensing Group is the exclusive representative for kathy ireland® Fashion. All public relations for Kathy Ireland, kathy ireland® Worldwide and its companies are led by Rona Menashe, Co-CEO of Los Angeles-based Guttman Associates PR & Marketing.

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SOURCE Moretz Marketing