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People News - all the movers and shakers
A change at Ravensburger
Tim Hall has announced that he has decided to step down from his role as managing director of Ravensburger in Q2 after more than 20 years in the role.
Tim said: “The decision is a purely personal one, but I have been fully supported by the super management team of the parent company. I have been very fortunate to have worked alongside such a talented and hard-working team in Bicester. In particular, over the past two years, they have worked tirelessly across all areas of the business to meet the sustained increase in demand for our products and I’m extremely grateful for all their efforts and support.
“I’m also grateful for all the support I have received from our customers, licensors, international colleagues and other partners. We have very ambitious plans for the next three years and I look forward to seeing the company go from strength to strength.
“We are currently recruiting for my successor and then there will be a suitable handover period. I‘m delighted to say that I will not be leaving Ravensburger but will become part of the team looking after international licensing. I will therefore be able to keep in touch with all my Ravensburger colleagues and all our partners at retail and in the licensing community.”
Rebecca Galligan Claire Hodgson Sabine Dix
Changes at Simba Smoby Toys UK
Simba Smoby Toys UK has promoted Sabine Dix to the role of head of sales, and appointed Claire Hodgson as national account manager and Rebecca Galligan as marketing consultant.
Sabine previously held the position of senior national account manager and has been instrumental to the growth of the business, particularly the online and grocery channels, as well as the company’s national accounts. This, together with two decades of experience gained at Spin Master, Tomy, MGA, Trends and Theo Klein, will be invaluable to Sabine in her new role, which includes day-to-day management of the sales team.
Claire joined the team in January as national account manager, supporting the company’s online customers. She brings more than 20 years of experience in toy and nursery industry sales, having most recently held roles with Spin Master and MGA Entertainment.
The company has also confirmed the appointment of Rebecca Galligan as marketing consultant. She has a great deal of experience in marketing, brand strategy and franchise management, including senior marketing roles during a 14-year career at Mattel.
Toys R Us UK appoints buying director
Toys R Us has appointed Diane Lee as director of buying. She has more than 30 years of experience in merchandising and buying, and previously worked at Toys R Us UK, Hamleys, Early Learning Centre and Mothercare.
Diane will be managing direct buying and product strategy within Toys R Us and Babies R Us, which will return to the UK this year, with dedicated websites in the first phase.
This news follows the announcement last October that Toys R Us ANZ Limited and WHP Global, the parent company of Toys R Us and Babies R Us, had signed a landmark long-term exclusive licence agreement for Toys R Us ANZ to run digital and physical retail commerce for Toys R Us and Babies R Us in the UK.
New senior appointments at Rainbow Designs
Rainbow Designs has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Gary Hughes as national accounts controller.
The company said Gary’s extensive experience in both the publishing and toy sectors, most recently managing the games category at Winning Moves across the high street and independents, will be a ‘fantastic and welcomed asset’ to the team.
Meanwhile, Mandy McGough, who has been with Rainbow Designs for five years and Gary Hughes successfully developed the northern sales territory, has been promoted to field sales team leader.
Rainbow Designs’ sales and marketing director Zara Grindrod said: “Kicking off 2022 with Gary at the helm of our national accounts base is going to be a huge benefit for us, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve this year. Mandy also absolutely deserves her promotion. She has worked really hard in the past few years and is a great ambassador for Mandy McGough Rainbow, with passion for our brands and products, and therefore the perfect candidate to head up the field sales team.”
University Games and The Lagoon Group have strengthened their sales team with two new recruits. Carol Bradshaw Carol Bradshaw joins as national accounts manager, bringing more than 15 years of toy experience. She started in the industry in 2007 at Green Board Games and has spent the past 10 years at Bigjigs Toys. Sharon Gardener is the new account manager for south London and the south-east. She has a vast amount of experience, having spent 12 years at Bigjigs Toys. Sharon’s trade knowledge through both her sales and customer experience is key to her new role. Mark Jones, sales director for University Games and The Lagoon Group, is delighted to have Carol and Sharon onboard. He said: “They are both very valuable additions to our existing team. With the wealth of knowledge and experience they possess from many Sharon Gardener years in the industry, it can only benefit us as we enter our next exciting stage of growth.”
Asmodee appoints new business development executive Emily Catchpole
Asmodee has announced that Emily Catchpole has joined the company’s national sales team as new business development executive, working across national accounts and exploring new avenues to drive its games into more hands.
Emily has worked in the book industry since 2005 before becoming games and puzzles buyer at Waterstones. She brings a wealth of experience in retail, having started in store as a bookseller and working up to store manager, before moving across to head office.
Asmodee director Anil Boodhoo said: “We’re thrilled to have Emily join us at a truly exciting time for the business. With her vast knowledge of games and the industry, she is a brilliant asset to the national sales team, and we wish her every success as she embarks on her career with us.”
Emily commented: “I’m looking forward to the new challenges that a sales role will bring and working first-hand with the games that I love.”
Jazwares names chief brand officer
Jazwares has announced that Jeremy Padawer joins the c-suite as chief brand officer, effective immediately. A toy industry veteran with deep expertise in brand development across Arthur Ferreira multiple toy categories including collectables, as well as an experienced executive in e-commerce and animated content, Jeremy has been instrumental in Jazwares’ growth since joining the company in 2019.
In this newly-created role prioritising brand and growth strategies, Jeremy will be responsible for the company’s global brand building, design, marketing, and communications across all business units.
Jazwares has also announced key Herb Mitschele promotions to the company’s sales organisation, elevating Herb Mitschele to executive vice president of global sales and planning, Guy Thomas to senior vice president of US sales, and Arthur Ferreira to senior vice president of international sales and marketing.
Guy Thomas Jeremy Padawer
Alan Thompson has been awarded the prestigious BTHA Golden Teddy in recognition of his dedication and more than 50 years’ service to the toy industry, upon his retirement as a sales agent. Alan joined Tomy as a sales agent in 1983 following a wealth of experience in the toy industry, including roles at Mattel and Ravensburger. Tomy UK sales director Kingsley Matthews said: “Alan Thompson is a true man of character and integrity. He is dependable, honest, and credible - and fully deserving of his Golden Teddy Award. Alan is known in the industry for his enthusiasm for the ranges he sells and his relentless servicing of his retailers, and we shall certainly miss having him as a member of our team. We’d like to extend our thanks for his incredible 39 years of hard work here at Tomy.”
MGA and Zapf part ways with Neil Bandtock
MGA Entertainment and Zapf Creation has announced that Neil Bandtock has resigned to seek new opportunities, following 15 months as MD for UK and Ireland.
The company said it is thankful to Neil for his hard work over the past year, under extremely challenging circumstances for the industry, and wishes him well in the future.
VP Sales and Marketing EMEA Marcel Deveny will cover the role in the interim.
New face at One for Fun
One for Fun (formerly H. Grossman) recently appointed Valentine Jourdan to handle all content on its social media accounts under the new One for Fun company name. She was recruited to the role of senior export sales executive late last year and is already creating great content across all One For Fun’s social accounts.
One for Fun encompasses the brands of HGL, Ozbozz, Tobar and all distribution products.
