Jackie Leimer

Jackie Leimer has 35 years of experience in intellectual property management in companies, law firms and academia.

Jackie was Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Global Intellectual Property for Kraft Foods until 2009. There she managed all aspects of the company’s trademarks and patents, including clearance, dispute resolution and portfolio management ( 65,000 registrations and 3000 patent families). In addition, she implemented and managed innovative systems for identifying and protecting the company’s trade secrets.

Jackie was also a key player on m&a teams, leading IP due diligence and IP integration for multiple billion dollar acquisitions.

To accomplish all of this, Jackie developed teams who performed at the highest levels and thrived in fast-paced, changing environments.

Prior to Kraft, Jackie served as marketing counsel at The Quaker Oats Company for 10 years. There she worked on the global launch of a major business, creating a network of global advisors to obtain regulatory clearance for an innovative product category ( sports drinks). She also managed a wide variety of licensing, sports marketing and athlete endorsement agreements.

Jackie earned her BA and JD from Valparaiso University, where she was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. She counseled and advised clients on IP matters while as an associate at Sidley Austin and as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago. She also litigated IP cases at Welsh & Katz, an IP boutique firm.

Jackie’s most recent venture has been in academia, where she was the Founding Director for the Master of IP Management and Markets program at the Illinois Institute of Technology. This innovative master’s degree is a collaboration between the University’s faculties of law, business, design, computer science and engineering. Jackie coordinated the curricular and administrative aspects of the program, and developed an extensive network of IP experts who advise and mentor students. The program has received global attention and accolades.

Jackie has been active in the International Trademark Association for over 20 years, serving in leadership positions and on the board of directors for much of that time. She was President of INTA in 2004. During her tenure she advocated trademark policies on behalf of member companies before many governments, and testified in support of the Trademark Dilution Act before the US Congress. 


Jackie Leimer
jackie@ip-portunity.com
U.S. + 1 (267) 528-9174
Canada: +1 (604) 913-3674