Industry Moves

Rubies welcomes Scott Pickworth as new independent accounts manager

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.”

IMC Toys boosts UK sales team as company thrives

Lisa Cox

Kieran Smith

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”.

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.

Casdon continues expansion with new senior hire

Casdon Toys is expanding its team further with the appointment of Kate Watson as UK national account manager. A familiar face in the toy industry, Kate has previously held positions with Schleich UK and Hasbro, and brings a wealth of experience to the role at Casdon, where she will have responsibility for managing all national accounts for the brand.

Phil Cassidy, managing director at Casdon Toys, commented: “Kate is a fantastic new addition to the Casdon family. Her stellar toy industry experience and strength in building meaningful relationships with key partners will be invaluable to the business as we continue to move forward with our next phase of growth.”

Commenting on her new role, Kate said: “I am so delighted to be joining Casdon, especially at such an exciting time for the company. I’m looking forward to being part of such a fantastic team and helping grow the UK business.”

BTHA announces Kerri Atherton as head of Public Affairs

Following the previous announcement, that Natasha Crookes would be leaving the association on 12th October to set up her own business, the British Toy and Hobby Association is delighted to announce that Kerri Atherton has joined the team as head of Public Affairs.

Many in the UK toy industry will remember Kerri from her previous time working with the BTHA in the role of Public Affairs manager.

Kerri left the BTHA at the end of 2018, to work with the London Mayor and his team, but is now looking forward to returning to the toy industry and working at the association again in this new role. She is based in London and can be contacted at kerri@btha.co.uk.

Natasha is now setting up a PR and Public Affairs consultancy to take her skills forward whilst working for herself. Natasha said: “I have met many lovely people in the industry, and in the many organisations we all interact with, and hope to stay in touch with you all after the 12th October.”

She can be contacted at her new company at natasha@elven.ltd. The BTHA would like to give both Natasha and Kerri all good wishes.

Kidicraft welcomes new hires and promotes from within

Emma Lund

Damian Meer

Two new sales coordinators have joined the Kidicraft team to cover growth and ensure a smooth run up to Christmas for the company.​ Emma Lund and Damian Meer will join Kidicraft as sales coordinators, bringing a wealth of experience with them. The new roles will bolster the sales team during this critical period.

Emma will be the first point of call for customers based in the South West, South East and The Midlands and support the sales agents in her area. Meanwhile, Damian will be the first point of contact for customers based in The North of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland and will also support the area’s sales team.

Katy Greenwood continues her development within the company, moving into a marketing support role to assist marketing manager, Annaliese Mason, with exciting new product launches to be announced soon.

Kidicraft is also pleased to announce that Sarah Haslam has taken on a new role as general manager. Sarah has worked for the company for several years and is an invaluable member of the team. In her new role, she will oversee the daily operations of the company and provide direct management to the rest of the Kidicraft team. Paul Evans continues to manage the warehouse, ensuring accurate and timely product distribution.

Roy Greenwood, director of Kidicraft, said: “I am delighted to welcome both Damian and Emma to the team. I’m certain that the company will benefit from the skills and experience they will bring. Kidicraft is continuing to expand with lots of new products launching soon and has invested heavily to ensure that we meet product demand, as we strive to continue to provide an exceptional level of customer service to our customers.”

Funrise appoints Caroline Webb as EMEA sales manager

Funrise International has announced the appointment of Caroline Webb as EMEA sales manager. She joins the team at Funrise with a wealth of knowledge and experience, including 10 years in the toy industry, most recently with Addo Play and Worlds Apart. At Addo she was responsible for delivering growth through global strategic partners in Asia, Australia and Europe, while her role with Worlds Apart was focused on licensed products within EMEA regions.

Based in the Milton Keynes office, Caroline will help lead business initiatives to further expand market penetration throughout the EMEA territories.

Caroline commented: “I am thrilled to join Funrise and have the ability to help grow the EMEA business. The company has a portfolio of strong brands spanning several categories and I can’t wait to make an impact on the international side of the business.”

Annie Sullivan, commercial director EMEA, told Toy World: “I am delighted to have Caroline on board during this very exciting time at Funrise. Her proven experience across the international market will help us build and develop further retailer and buyer relationships throughout Benelux, Germany and Eastern Europe.”