Industry Moves Rubies welcomes Scott Pickworth as new independent accounts manager
IMC Toys boosts UK sales team as company thrives IMC Toys has announced the promotion of Lisa Cox to UK sales manager and the appointment of Kieran Smith as national account manager. In her new role heading up the UK sales team, Lisa Cox will report directly into UK country manager, Sue Barratt. Lisa, previously senior national account manager at IMC Toys, has been with the company for 12 months, with responsibility for its portfolio of hugely successful in-house developed brands – Cry Babies, Cry Babies Magic Tears, VIP Pets and Bloopies – and new brands for 2022 including Lucky Bob. Kieran Smith joins IMC Toys as national account manager and will report into Lisa Cox. He was previously at MGA, and prior to that held sales roles at Melissa & Doug and Hasbro. Sue Barratt, IMC UK country manager, commented: “We’ve seen significant change and growth over the last year and, as we brand build and continue to create amazing content combined with eCommerce through our Kitoons OTT platform, we’re investing in our team too. The new appointments will further strengthen the UK team and enable us to continue to innovate with our brands and drive sales of our best-selling ranges”.
Rubies is delighted to announce the hiring of Scott Pickworth, who will join the company as its brand-new independent accounts manager. Scott brings with him a wealth of experience in the industry. He started his career at Smiffy’s before joining Fun Shack as a startup and establishing it as a national brand. Responsible for managing Rubies independent accounts, Scott will also be the product lead on generic product development. Mike O’Connell commented: “Scott is an incredibly exciting addition to our synergetic team, joining at a crucial and exciting time due to increased business, peak seasons and our exciting internal developments. We have no doubt Scott will fit right into our team and our energetic work environment with his drive and ambition. We are excited to see the plans he has in store for account and brand optimization as well as product development.” As Rubies welcomes Scott, the company will also say farewell to Stewart Rankin and Tony Jones. The two agents have been with the company for over 20 years. Mike added: “I would like to thank them both for their service and commitment to the company throughout their tenure and wish them both the very best for the future.”
Penguin Random House Children’s appoints new commercial director David Sprei has joined Penguin Random House Children’s as commercial director for Penguin Ventures, reporting into Francesca Dow, Penguin Ventures MD. In this newly created role, David will lead the Penguin Ventures business to further growth, working in close partnership with Susan Bolsover, Global Licensing and Consumer Products director, and the Penguin Ventures team. Susan Bolsover will report into David. David joins from his previous role as director International Business Development at ViacomCBS Consumer Products, focusing on new innovative & non-traditional partnerships across the portfolio. Prior to this, David has held commercial and partnership roles at Viacom Velocity (MTV Europe), Instrumental and TBWA\Stream, London. Francesca Dow, managing director, Penguin Random House Children’s, said: “Susan has brilliantly led and managed our strong licensing business and excellent team. Now that Ventures wholly manages the licensing for Classic Peter Rabbit in-house, we are excited about exploring new and uncharted opportunities. We believe we are at an early stage in Penguin Ventures’ potential and David will help take us to the next stage of growth and commercial success. In his new role, he will act as a central commercial unifier for our owned brands, working in close partnership with our Brand and Publishing teams.”
Innovation First International (UK) appoints new marketing manager
Innovation First UK has appointed Alison Ferguson as its new marketing manager with a focus on driving consumer awareness of Hexbug toys. She joined the company on 4th October and will be responsible for the marketing and PR activity across the company’s three brands: Hexbug, Vex Robotics and Rack Solutions. Alison was previously B2B marketing manager at ACC conference and exhibition centre in Liverpool and has been tasked with accelerating growth for Hexbug and building on her experience within CRM and audience insight to gain valuable insight into the brand’s customer base. Gareth Jones, UK sales manager at Innovation First International (UK), said: “We are excited to welcome Alison onboard, and to now have a dedicated marketing specialist who is skilled in B2B and B2C marketing, brand management and partnerships. We know she will be an invaluable support to our sales team, especially as we continue to grow Hexbug and Vex Robotics.” Alison added: “I’m really looking forward to working with the fantastic team at Innovation First and learning all about the toy industry. The challenge of transferring my experience to another sector appealed to me when taking on this role.
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