www.toynews-online.biz INDUSTRY MOVES
ToyNews welcomes a new member to its sales team, Great Gizmos makes a brace of hires, MGA gets a head of marketing and more…
TOYNEWS The sales team at ToyNews has been bolstered with the appointment of Emilie George as account manager.
George arrives from the leading logistics, distribution and creative marketing company Gem. She will also take up the role of account manager on
Licensing.biz, reporting in to group sales manager Lesley Blumson. Former sales manager Emily Briggs has taken up a new role at Media 10, which runs the Grand Designs show and media brand. “Emily B has been fantastic for us these past three years and we are very sorry to lose her. But we already know Emilie George very well from her work within marketing and events side of Gem,” said ToyNews publisher and Intent Media boss Stuart Dinsey. “Our new Emilie knows account management well and will be offering full service print, online and event solutions to our ToyNews and
Licensing.biz partners.”
GREAT GIZMOS
“We are confident that both Sarah and Amanda will be key players in the future of the company and will be a great success in their new roles,” said Judith Dayus, director of Great Gizmos.
MGA Former LeapFrog exec Jo Body has taken on the role of head of marketing at MGA.
Body was previously director of
pre-school marketing at LeapFrog’s US head office, but has made the switch to Milton Keynes to take on the newly created role.
She will be responsible for driving awareness of new product launches and building the strength of existing brands such as Lalaloopsy, Bratz, Zapf Creation and Little Tikes. Body said: “MGA has some fantastic existing brands and there are some exciting new launches on the horizon, so I’m really thrilled to be coming into the company at such an opportune time.”
WOW STUFF After a long and ‘exhaustive’ search Wow Stuff has hired a new UK sales manager. Dan King has
Sarah Dayus (pictured left) has joined Great Gizmos as product manager for the NICI brand. She previously completed the graduate programme at Harrods and worked as retail manager of Toy Kingdom. Meanwhile, Amanda Biddell
(right) has become area account manager for the South West. She joins the company having enjoyed a six-year spell at Manhattan Toy and will be responsible for maintaining a constant presence across NICI, Great Pretenders and Okiedog.
nearly five years experience from Mattel, while he also worked as general sales manager at MGA. King also enjoyed a spell heading up international sales for Tomy’s Gacha collection.
Jon Birch, global sales director, commented: “I think our
headhunter and recruitment agency were beginning to lose faith that we were ever going to accept anyone for the role. Dan fits perfectly with our culture.” “We are always looking out for highly ethical bright sparks who are fun but live and breathe the business. With the launch of Combat Creatures going through
the roof Dan has joined at a great time as our UK business will grow more than 100 per cent in 2013.”
BTHA
Majen Immink has become senior communications manager for the trade body and is charged with
leading the marketing drive for London Toy Fair 2013. Immink will take on more responsibility alongside Natasha Crookes – director of PR and communications at the trade body – while she will also lead the Toy Fair marketing and PR campaign. “The BTHA is dedicated to protecting and promoting the responsible manufacturers that make up the membership,” Crookes told ToyNews.
“Majen has worked with creativity and determination to promote members’ interests over recent years, and in recognition of that work has been promoted to take on a more senior role in continuing the public relations and public affairs role in the team here at the BTHA.”
RANDOM HOUSE
Random House has appointed Jo Edwards as the head of licensing for its new division,
Random House Enterprises. The new arm will pursue multi- platform business opportunities, across TV, licensing and merchandising, gaming and events. The former VP of international consumer products at Discovery Communications, Edwards will report to Nigel Waters, group commercial director.
Edwards commented: “I am delighted to be joining Random House as it invests in its development as a broader exploiter of IP rights and content.”
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SEPTEMBER 2012
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