Over 250 trademark and brand protection professionals gathered at an exclusive champagne reception in London last year to celebrate the work of corporate trademark teams around the globe.
Those honoured included the teams at Chanel, Luckin Coffee Group, Grupo AlEn, GE Aerospace, Moderna, NBCUniversal, and the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.
The 2026 In-house Leader of the Year Award went to Itai Sela Saldinger of Playtika, and the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was Tove Graulund.
Throughout her career, Tove has earned a reputation as a tireless advocate and consensus builder, helping to drive change through persistence, collaboration and an unwavering focus on what works best for trademark users.
WTR sat down with Tove to discuss what led her into trademarks, the long road to meaningful reform, and the lessons she hopes the next generation of IP professionals will carry forward.
