Industry Moves Hunter Price announces senior leadership restructure Hunter Price International has announced its most significant structure change since the business was founded 15 years ago, to underpin the next phase of its growth strategy. Allana Holmes, who has been with the company for nearly three years as Sales director for the home & lifestyle division, will take on the role of commercial director from this month. Allana will spearhead Hunter Price’s strategic vision, as it looks to continue its recent successes. As part of company’s evolvement, co-founders Jeremy Winburn and Josh Eden will become co-CEOs. Jeremy, the former commercial director, will work closely with Allana across all commercial departments, while leading Hunter Price’s global growth ambitions across Europe and the US. Under his new role, Josh Eden will continue to oversee and lead the group’s UK and international operations and financial activities as it expands into new territories across the globe. Allana has been instrumental in transforming Hunter Price’s licensed offer. In 2023, she was shortlisted in License Global’s The Influentials report as one of the leading ‘Disruptors’ within licensing, acknowledging her dedication and commitment to inspiring the industry’s community. Allana said: “Over the past two years, we’ve honed our overall market offer and played to our strengths, with the aim of future-proofing the business for the long term. I believe our relentless customer-first approach sets us apart, supporting and sustaining our partnerships with a completing, not competing, mindset. We work alongside our customers as an extension of their teams to provide everything from design-led cross category solutions to creative campaigns, which adds real value to their businesses.”
Jazwares bolsters UK leadership team Jazwares is bolstering the strength of its UK leadership team, elevating Lucy Whitamore to Sales director, UK and Adelle Engelbrecht to Operations director, UK. Since joining Jazwares from Tesco in 2019, Lucy has proven herself as a talented and commercially astute rising star. In her new role, Lucy will lead the UK and Ireland sales team for all Jazwares brands, shaping and delivering the sales strategy to achieve the company’s regional growth plans. Lucy commented: “It’s a real pleasure to lead such an incredible team, and I look forward to driving our continued success and growth in 2024.” Adelle joined Jazwares in 2020 and has been a pivotal part of the company’s success during a period of rapid growth. As Operations director, Adelle will lead the customer operations, warehouse and inbound/outbound logistic teams, focusing on strategic growth and implementation of process improvements to maximise output and efficiencies. Adelle said: “I’m delighted to continue my journey at Jazwares, building on past successes, with an incredible team supporting me. Over the last few years, we’ve doubled our UK team and seen phenomenal success across our brands whilst building strong and valued partnerships across all business areas. I’m looking forward to Lucy Whitamore Adelle Engelbrecht continuing this trend into 2024 and beyond.” Commenting on the promotions, Holly Oldham, managing director of UK & European distributors, added: “As we continue our growth journey in the UK, we are scaling up, and I can’t think of two better people to take the helm than Lucy and Adelle. Both are passionate, highly motivated and skilful leaders who have contributed immensely to the business’s success.”
Heathside makes senior hires for Master Replicas and Khadou brands Heathside has announced Ben Robinson as the new head of Brand for Master Replicas. The recently established position will expand on Master Replicas’ vision to redefine high-end collections within the popculture space. The company says Ben’s extensive background in licensed products will help with the successes that Master Replicas has experienced since its re-launch last year. Ben previously worked at Eaglemoss and, during his 12-year tenure, rose to the position of director of Licensed Product. At Heathside, he will lead commercial activities using his extensive network and passion for high end collectibles to drive innovative collaborations and elevate existing IP. Ben commented: “I’m delighted to be joining Master Replicas. We’ve got some exciting plans to grow the collectibles sector by tapping into passionate and demanding fanbases, which have been underserved by the current market. There are real opportunities to do something new and different here, and it’s going to be an exciting time.” Heathside has also welcomed Markus Bhatia as the new commercial manager for Khadou, in a move that once again emphasises the company’s evolution and ambition. Markus Bhatia Ben Robinson Markus was most recently Buying director at THG, responsible for the Zavvi brand. Prior to that, he has held various commercial roles within Virgin Retail UK and Europe. Markus brings a wealth of expertise to further cement Khadou’s position within the toy and collectibles market, and his understanding of pop culture products, coupled with positioning new and existing brands in the market, aligns well with Heathside’s overarching goals. Markus said: “I am delighted to be joining the team here at Heathside. Khadou continues to expand its portfolio across many exciting franchises, and I will be supporting the team in its continued growth. I look forward to working with all of our existing partners and establishing new ones that will secure Khadou’s ongoing ambition to be the centrepiece within the pop culture arena.”
Toy World 20