The Blair Partnership, the entertainment representation company whose portfolio includes “Harry Potter,” has appointed Will Obbard and Alex Flanagan to senior positions as it prepares for its next stage of growth. The appointments bring experience in partnerships, business strategy, licensing and legal affairs to the company’s leadership team.
Obbard arrives from theme park operator Merlin Entertainments, where he served as vice president of partnerships. At The Blair Partnership, he will oversee a five-year growth strategy aimed at developing revenue through partnerships, new franchises, mergers and acquisitions. His responsibilities will also include identifying additional revenue opportunities for the company’s existing clients and intellectual property.
He spent more than 12 years at Merlin, following earlier work in strategy and mergers and acquisitions at KPMG. Obbard, who also serves as a World Book Day trustee, said the company’s clients and intellectual property offered substantial scope for new partnerships and revenue streams. He said he looked forward to helping the team carry out its growth plans.
Flanagan was appointed group general counsel earlier this year, bringing experience across entertainment, music, digital media and licensing. She joined after three and a half years in Amazon’s global media and entertainment division, where her work covered both Amazon Music and Prime Video.
Her responsibilities at Amazon included representing those services in complex licensing negotiations with music rights holders, as well as handling public policy and regulatory matters. Before joining Amazon, she was vice president for global digital legal and business affairs at Universal Music Group. She also headed legal work for Spinnup, UMG’s distribution platform for independent artists.
Flanagan said the combination of literary talent, distinctive intellectual property and expanding entertainment opportunities gave The Blair Partnership considerable potential to build on its existing business. She expressed enthusiasm about contributing to that growth.
Founding partner Neil Blair said the two appointments strengthened the leadership team, with Obbard and Flanagan bringing complementary expertise. He linked their arrival to the company’s plans to support clients, develop its intellectual property and pursue further opportunities for growth and innovation.
The Blair Partnership provides full-service entertainment representation to authors, creators and intellectual property owners. Alongside “Harry Potter,” whose new screen adaptation is scheduled to debut on HBO and HBO Max at Christmas 2026, its portfolio includes British family brands The Wombles and the world of Neverland from “Peter Pan.”
