Authentic names Victor Fonseca head of Brazil

US brand management company Authentic Brands Group (Authentic) has appointed Victor Fonseca as senior vice president, head of Brazil.

In his new role, Fonseca will oversee commercial operations in Brazil, identifying strategic growth opportunities across the portfolio of sports, lifestyle and entertainment intellectual property. The executive will focus on retail, licensing and commercial partnerships to strengthen regional market share.

Fonseca brings more than two decades of commercial experience across consumer products, licensing and brand management. He joins Authentic from US media company Paramount, where he served as vice president, licensing, Latin America. Fonseca also previously led the Latin American consumer products division at toy maker Hasbro, held commercial roles at Samsonite Brasil and spent nearly 14 years at Brazilian footwear group Alpargatas expanding the Havaianas brand.

“Authentic's platform offers a significant opportunity to build on the connection its brands already have with audiences in Brazil,” Fonseca said. “I look forward to working with the team and our partners to expand that presence through locally relevant products, retail and experiences, while creating new opportunities for long-term growth.”

Authentic chief transition officer and president, international, John McNamara said: “Victor brings a valuable combination of entertainment licensing expertise, commercial leadership and deep knowledge of the Brazilian market. He understands how to translate the strength of global brands into local opportunities and will help us deepen existing partnerships, expand our reach and accelerate growth in Brazil.”

In Brazil, Authentic currently represents more than 14 brands, including Reebok, Quiksilver, Champion and Nautica. The group operates through more than 24 regional partners, reaching consumers via 50 monobranded stores, 11 e-commerce platforms and over 5,000 points of sale.

The group plans to accelerate regional growth by introducing additional portfolio brands to the market and expanding experiential activations via Authentic Live. Globally, Authentic generates more than 38 billion dollars in annual systemwide sales through a network of 1,700 operating partners.