Yehuda Shmidman

Since joining brand-licensing firm Sequential in 2012, Shmidman has been buying up an A-list roster of labels, including the clothing lines of Jessica Simpson and Justin Timberlake; Ellen Tracy; and Martha Stewart Omnimedia, which in June Sequential said it would buy for $353 million, its largest deal yet (Stewart will join the board). Shmidman – who was once spoofed on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” for his business selling iPods preloaded with Jewish content – has grown the company’s total sales at retail from $100 million to roughly $3 billion today.