Michael S. Stone
President/CEO and Co-Founder

Michael Stone is an internationally recognized expert in branding, marketing, and licensing. Currently, Stone serves as president and chief executive officer of The Beanstalk Group, the world’s largest licensing consultancy and part of the Diversified Agency Services division of Omnicom Group. Stone co-founded The Beanstalk Group in 1992.

Since 1982, Stone has been a pioneer in all facets of licensing, including brand extension programs for major multinational corporations, celebrities, sports, and entertainment properties, as well as retail exclusive programs devoted to specific licensed properties. Stone has served as the licensing adviser or agent for clients including McDonald's, Columbia Sportswear, Lego, Hershey Foods, Campbell Soup, Schering-Plough, the United States Olympic Committee, and the U.S. Tennis Open Championships among others. From 1992 through 2002 he spearheaded the European licensing program for The Coca-Cola Company.

Under Stone’s leadership, The Beanstalk Group has been responsible for some of most successful licensing programs of all time, including programs for all of the brands of the Ford Motor Company, Harley-Davidson, AT&T, The Stanley Works, Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, and The Andy Warhol Foundation. In addition, he and his team conceived and implemented the ground-breaking and highly successful Mary-Kate and Ashley global fashion and lifestyle program, which has achieved over a billion dollars in worldwide retail sales.

Stone is also the inspiration for many of Beanstalk’s corporate initiatives. He has been instrumental in the development and implementation of several philanthropic programs at the agency, including the Beanstalk Hands-On Volunteer Program and Beanstalk Charities, a fund for charitable donations which, in 2008, will focus on Habitat for Humanity New York and New York Cares. Most recently, Stone implemented a companywide “Green Initiative” designed to reduce waste, conserve energy and ultimately make The Beanstalk Group a more environmentally conscious organization, thereby reducing its carbon footprint.

An authority on licensing, Stone and The Beanstalk Group are credited by many for driving the evolution of licensing from primarily a toys and entertainment marketing tool to a highly effective corporate branding tool for the Fortune 100 companies. He is frequently called upon as an industry expert and has been quoted in Brandweek, Advertising Age, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and many other top business and consumer publications. Additionally, Stone and his agency have received accolades twleve times from the Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association by receiving the LIMA Award for Excellence - for promotions (1990), brand extension (1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008) and international brand extension (1999). Stone also received the advertising industry Clio Award in 1984, for excellence in the use of licensing in a national trade promotion, and in 1985, for excellence in the licensed execution of an advertising campaign.

Stone graduated from Hamilton College, where he currently serves on the Hamilton College Visibility Committee, and the Emory University School of Law. Mr. Stone began his legal career as a law clerk for a United States District Court judge and then practiced law with a leading intellectual property law firm in New York City prior to embarking upon his career in licensing representation.

View Michael Stone's quotes on the licensing industry and thought leadership articles.
View Michael Stone speaking about Beanstalk and the licensing industry in Voices of DAS.