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WOMEN IN TOYS


Gerbie Quilter, UK Sales Director, Vivid


Imaginations


Many plaudits have come in for Quilter. Here are just a few: “Gerbie is a vibrant and driven person who attacks her goals with flair and precision. Every problem has a solution and Gerbie is the person to find the answer.” “Gerbie has been a fantastic leader for a male dominated sales team at Vivid.” “Gerbie is an inspiration to me.” “Hardworking, dedicated and tenacious in all she does both in her working and personal life.”


Clare Sawkins, Founder, SO PR


Sawkins is celebrating 25 years in the toy business. Originally PR manager


for Waddingtons Games, she then moved to Hasbro in-house PR manager for two years.


In 2001, she set up SO PR and has worked constantly with most of the major toy companies.


David Rawlings offered: “I would love to nominate my wonderful wife Janine Rawlings, who has been my business partner in the toy trade for over 35 years, and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to run Flying Toys without her. “Like so many women, Janine has had to balance working full time with bringing up our beautiful daughter Jenilee, and more recently looking after her elderly mother.”


Lin Sherlock, AVP Buying, TK Maxx


Janine Rawlings, Partner, Flying Toys


Rebecca Rees,


Head of Marketing, The


Entertainer


Rees has been at the toy retailer since 2006 starting her career as marketing assistant. In January 2013, she took on the role of head of marketing. This position has seen


Rees create, implement and develop the company’s marketing strategies even further. More recently, Rees has


been working with the marketing team in Dubai to ensure The Entertainer stores in the region mirror those in the UK.


Lesley


Singleton, Founder, LS Media


One of Sherlock’s earliest roles came at Tomy where she spent three years as a senior account manager. She went on to hold sales roles at Tyco Matchbox, Corinthian Marketing, Playmates and Class Act. She joined Woolworths in 2000 and spent five years as a senior buyer and Chad Valley brand manager. Sherlock then joined Mothercare as head of group buying, brand, in 2005 before joining TJX Europe in 2009.


Steph Strike, Category Director, Toys, Asda


Strike joined Asda in 2003 and heads up a respected toy buying team at the Leeds-based grocer. It has lofty ambitions to be the UK’s number one kids retailer, as it told ToyNews last year, believing its multi- channel business model is one of its core strengths in the toy market. Strike confirmed to us last year that most suppliers are seeing amazing growth by working with Asda. Strike is popular and well regarded by suppliers and her team.


30 March


Melissa Symonds, Senior Account Manager, NPD Group


Symonds is passionate about the toy industry and provides her clients with top class service and industry expertise, gained from over five years of experience in the toy industry. Working with all levels from insight managers, brand and product managers to marketing and managing directors, her clients look to Symonds for insight and viewpoints to support the market trends and help with decision making.


Singleton’s role is to provide Bananagrams with PR and marketing services. According to Bananagrams, she has been an incredible addition to the team: “She works tirelessly to promote our products and the brand and has become a very valued member of our transatlantic family.” LS Media now provides


bespoke services to many companies in the toy and games industry. Her expertise and approach to promotion is well respected.


Alice Taylor, CEO, Makie Lab


Reynard is one of the few female managing directors of a manufacturing company, having started almost 25 years ago as an export administrator. She has a very hands on


approach, involved in all aspects of production, finance and sales.


Since her appointment


her drive has reinvigorated the company with the introduction of new products and investment in new machinery.


Andrea Smith, Brand Manager, Character Options


Smith is the only woman on this list to have made the move from condoms to toys. Prior to joining Character, Smith worked at SSL International in several roles including customer marketing executive and global brand manager for Durex. She joined Character in March 2011 and currently looks after brands including The Zelfs, Teksta Robotic Puppy, Disney Anipets, Monsters University, The Avengers, Spider-Manand Iron Man.


Jacqueline Taylor-Foo, UK Sales Director, Spin Master


Taylor founded Makielab in March 2011, with Jo Roach (see above), after 16 years building multi-award winning digital products, mainly for children and teens, for Channel 4, BBC, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros and more. She has a five year old daughter who demands Space Pirate Dolls – which is partially how Makielab cam about. Based in Shoreditch, London, Makielab has been at the forefront of the 3D printing trend.


Taylor-Foo started her sales career at BMW/Rover, Coca Cola and L’Oreal, before joining the toy industry in 2001 at Mattel. She then moved to Zapf Creations, before joining Spin Master in 2006 in her current role. A driven and motivational team leader, Taylor-Foo has excellent sales and negotiation skills, ensuring that Spin Master’s brands such as Bakugan, Air Hogs, Spy Gear and Flutterbye are always at the forefront of retailers’ priorities.


Roach is a co-founder of 3D printing toy firm Makie Lab, as well as the COO. Prior to this, she was commissioning and directing interactive products and programmes for Channel 4 and the BBC. Roach is a BAFTA award winning executive producer, picking up the award for Channel 4 children's story- based web game Nightmare High. Makie Lab has gone from strength to strength and last year the firm launched a Makies Doll Factory app.


Rebecca Snell, Head of Marketing, LEGO UK


Snell is leading the charge in making 2014 ‘the Year of LEGO’. Snell already has the successful launch of The LEGO Movieunder her belt this year, and in her previous role at Bacardi, she was also responsible for the global launch of Bacardi Oakheart, the firm’s biggest growth driver in 2011. Snell has also held various positions at Procter & Gamble where she proved vital in creating the FMCG company's UK brand- building team.


Debra Tiffany, Marketing Manager, Brainstorm


Tiffany has worked at Brainstorm since 2006, initially in a sales management role, proving herself invaluable and very reliable when it came to taking care of the idiosyncrasies of some of its larger clients. Following two maternity breaks, she returned on a part-time basis. Tiffany still manages one of the firm’s key accounts alongside her main role in the marketing department liaising with press and the PR agency.


www.toynews-online.biz


Sponsored by:


Jane Reynard, Managing Director, Scolaquip


Jo Roach, COO, Makie Lab


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