Whether she’s ready to admit it or not, Maxine Lister, Head of Licensing for the Natural History Museum, is both licensing industry royalty as well as a source of inspiration for the sustainable development of the brand licensing sector.
With multiple awards to her and her team’s name, as well as recognition as the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards’ Brand Licensing Ambassador of the Year 2023, Maxine is a major contributor to the industry’s story with sustainability, discovering new areas in which to innovate and deliver the museum’s ethos and efforts in sustainability insight and research to a global consumer audience.
Continuing our series of interviews with some of the industry’s most inspiring women in sustainability in brands, licensing, and retail in recognition of International Women’s Day, we catch up with Maxine to chat sustainability in brands, women in the industry, and what happened during those three months she spent in the wilderness…
Maxine, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us. I’ve had a quick LinkedIn stalk of you and remembered some crucial information that will be brought up again later… Your freelance wildlife photography! I’m also aware I’m in the presence of licensing royalty… award winning with a very enviable CV.
We’d love to start by learning about you. Can you tell us about your role at Natural History Museum and where you sit in this shift towards a more sustainable industry?
I certainly don’t feel like licensing royalty but thank you for the lovely compliment! As Head of Licensing at the Natural History Museum, I manage the strategy for the whole licensing programme alongside my fantastic team of two – Emma Russell (Senior Licensing Manager) and Georgie Britton (Creative Development Manager). As you can see, a very small team for what we achieve but we are supported by various teams within the Museum.
The Museum launched in 2019 its new strategy up to 2031, which will be our 150th year, and as part of this strategy, both the sustainability of the Museum as a whole and also within the work of all of its teams was a priority. Within our licensing work we already had guidelines around this, but upon review we set some parameters so that we had a more robust set of guidelines when working with our partners. These have continued to evolve as we continue to learn ourselves.
Which is fantastic. And to see the weight and knowledge that the Museum is putting behind the subject and its efforts is encouraging and inspiring. So, how did you find yourself working in – or what was your pathway into – the world of sustainability?
It was really due to licensing and more so working at the Museum – due to what the Museum represents. We aim to be as sustainable in our approach to the business as we can, but we also understand that there is no quick fix on any of this and it will take time but the changes over the last few years have been significant.
We pride ourselves on upholding our sustainable ethos throughout all our work and have been very fortunate that we’ve been increasingly able to factor this into our collaborations. Most recently we launched the Waterhouse Field Backpack with ROKA London, curated from old plastic bottles and non-biodegradable plastics. This year we’ve also launched another collection with Joanie, comprised of sustainable fabric blends, and released a fully recyclable educational ‘Let’s Learn’ range with GALT Toys.
What is it about sustainability in business – and at such a recognised brand – that excites you? What inspires your relationship with sustainability in business and what do you enjoy the most about bringing sustainability into brands and licensing?
It is not only looking at how we can improve the sustainability of the products themselves, but also the stories we can tell about the natural world to inspire consumers, to help them become more aware of the wonderful, diverse world we live in. Whether that is the past with the likes of dinosaurs, or the future in terms of how we can find solutions to the problems we face.
We’re doing this at so many levels, not just the commercial arm but with areas such as the ‘Fixing Our Broken Planet’ public programme, which looks at the Anthropocene or ‘the age of humans’ and how we can explore and inspire solutions.
We are always keen to work with licensees and retailers where we can weave the two together. It is a challenge and no-one is perfect, but we want to work with likeminded people who see an opportunity to help the consumer understand these issues.
Using business as that tool for global change – from the outside it looks and sounds like a huge job… What mantra or rule do you adopt to tackle the topic day-in day-out?
We are acutely aware of the complexities of the challenge. What we hope to achieve is a way of working where we look at the whole process: from the sourcing to the manufacturing; to packaging; to how we execute a product, and how we help the consumer in terms of recycling etc. Every product is viewed in isolation so that we can understand where decisions can be made and how to engage with the consumer.
It is a huge job and we are a very small part of the industry but a lot of small change can make a huge difference. The Museum’s vision is creating a future where both people and the planet can thrive simultaneously and to do this we really aim to create advocates for our planet. Our licensing programme is one of the ways we’re looking to achieve this globally. By reaching people who may not be able to visit our Museum in person, so communicating this story through our products and collaborations is a vital part of this work.
Where do you draw inspiration from to keep nudging things forward and helping the business establish new parameters to operate within?
We look at all the amazing work being done within our industry and by talking to colleagues, peers and educating ourselves as much as we can. We constantly review where we are in terms of the licensees and products we are producing and how we can progress this. We would love to have more time to develop our skills with regards to sustainability and with a small team that can be difficult, but I want to look at how we can get more time to develop our knowledge in the future.
Okay, we promised to come back to this and here we are. Your not-so-hidden talent and passion for adventure. How much is all the above, your work with the NHM, influenced by your talents and interests in the photography and wildlife photography?
Having spent time working with NGOs who are actively working to save some of the species that are under threat in the past, that has given me a great insight into how difficult a situation the world is facing right now. I was always aware of sustainability and choices that you make and the impact, but after coming back from my 14-month photography project I feel that this did make me question more and develop my decision making, not only personally but professionally.
When you live in a forest for three months with no electricity, mobile connection, or hot water you realise what and how you can manage without and how much you have when you come back home, which of course, has an impact.
Which must be some fascinating insight and perspectives to have gained. How does this then influence your office job? For example, looking at brands, licensing, and retail in general – from your perspective – what power do these things collectively have to change the face of business today?
There is some fantastic work already happening within the consumer landscape and I believe that this will only increase. We all have the ability to talk to the consumer directly and help them make choices in their day to day lives, but doing so in a way that can be fun and engaging is the key. If we can make it easy to do the right thing then that becomes the norm.
Obviously, this is part of our series celebrating International Women’s Day and inspiring women in brands and licensing sustainability. What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
We are lucky in the licensing industry to have some amazing, inspiring women leading the charge in this area and across licensing as a whole. I feel it is important to look at the women who have come before and celebrate them as well as celebrate the incredible women of now.
I’m also incredibly fortunate to work with amazing women across the Museum, who make up 56.1% of the staff here across all levels, from senior management to our brilliant front of house and learning team.
Finally, you’re such a valued member of the POC network, what advice or thought would you offer to the next generation coming into the retail and brand industries looking to make change?
I think the next generation are already hugely involved in the sustainable movement and are passionate about making a difference which can only be a great thing. I would say make use of the connections within the industry itself and to continue to learn and develop and support others also in their own development. The POC conference is a great way to meet like minded people and make those contacts for the future.
