The Toy Association Names Crayola President, CEO to Board of Directors
Smith Holland, president and CEO of Crayola, has joined The Toy Association’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. The board, chaired by David Hargreaves, strategic adviser at Hasbro, includes representatives from all areas of the toy industry, including manufacturers, retailers, and entertainment companies.
“We are thrilled to have Smith Holland join our board,” says Steve Pasierb, president and chief executive of The Toy Association. “Crayola is an iconic company and great global brand that has brought the joy of play to kids for generations. Smith’s team at Crayola continues to innovate bringing great new products to market and is at the core of where the business of toys and play is headed.”
Holland and the Crayola leadership team have been instrumental in shaping the company’s strategic priorities——especially the company’s expansion into international markets and the launch of Crayola Experience attractions in several U.S. cities.
The Toy Association Board of Directors elected Holland during its May meeting to fill a vacancy. Holland will be up for re-election for his first full two-year term in February 2018 at The Toy Association’s Annual General Meeting, taking place during New York Toy Fair.
TOMY Announces New Senior Leadership Team
TOMY International, the subsidiary of TOMY Company responsible for North America and Latin America, announces the appointments of two industry veterans to its newly-formed senior strategic leadership team. Effective immediately, Peter Henseler will assume the role of president and Gregory Kilrea will join as chief operating officer. Both Henseler and Kilrea have deep toy industry and juvenile products industry experience, as well as long-term relationships with TOMY. Akio Tomiyama, who has a strong association with TOMY Company headquarters, will round out the team, joining as chief strategy officer.
Henseler, who served as president of RC2 Corporation and vice chairman for TOMY International until his retirement in 2012, has been a strategic adviser and consultant to TOMY International since his retirement. Kilrea rejoins the TOMY team, having left the organization in 2015 after more than a decade of service at a variety of executive levels, most recently as CEO. Akio Tomyiama has been with the TOMY organization for five-and-a-half years, having served the organization globally in Japan and the UK, moving to the TOMY International headquarters in Oak Brook, IL in 2016.
Masayuki Nagatake, formerly the president and COO of TOMY International, will take a global position with the organization in the TOMY Company, Ltd. headquarters in Japan.
LIMA Expands with Three New Global Representatives
The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) is expanding its global presence with the appointment of representatives in three growth-oriented markets: Brazil, France, and Russia, as well as naming an industry veteran as the new head of LIMA India.
“We recognize the importance of these markets for the global licensing community and by establishing on-the-ground presence we are able to better serve our membership,” says LIMA President Charles Riotto. “This is strategically in-line with our mission to foster the ongoing expansion of licensing around the world. Our industry continues to grow on a global scale, and LIMA is committed to providing best-in-class education, information and networking programs everywhere our members are and want to be.”
The representatives for the new LIMA offices include: Marici Ferreira, LIMA/ABRAL (Brazil); Laurent Taieb, LIMA France; Jiggy George, LIMA India;and Marina Semenikhina, LIMA Russia
“The addition of these new representatives also better addresses the needs of our members looking to expand into new markets, while providing a full suite of licensing essentials and representation on a regional level,” says Riotto.
Alpha Group Appoints Antoine Erligmann
The Alpha Group announced the appointment of Antoine Erligmann as vice-president of media, TV, and licensing EMEA. With the recruitment of Erligmann at the international and European level, the company continues its international expansion.
Alpha Group is consolidating its organization and expanding its teams in Europe. The arrival of Erligmann is keeping with the ambitions of Alpha Group’s founders to become a key player in the European market over the next ten years.
In his new role, Erligmann will be in charge of TV distribution and licensing development of brands such as Super Wings and Infinity Nado in the short term, keeping in mind that Alpha Group is currently developing a number of other brands that are set to arrive on the market as early as 2018.
His principal roles will be to establish the media strategy, negotiate and direct the distribution of TV series across European markets, and develop licensing programs in EMEA. He will also participate in the development of co-productions and digital strategy.
Erligmann brings a wide range of experience gained in large organizations, having most recently held the position of head of EMEA at Nelvana, where he participated in the development of TV distribution in Europe and in the management of brands such as Bakugan, Beyblade, Zhu Zhu Pets, Babar, and Franklin. Prior to that, he built his career in the licensing industry at Warner Bros., in the toy industry at Smoby–Majorette, Simba Group and in the retail industry at Carrefour and Paridoc-Auchan.