By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
The new toy company Wyncor is adding to the company’s bench strength, hiring two new sales executives this week.
Wyncor announced the appointment of two top sales executives to join the company’s sales team.
Ami Dieckman, a former executive at Entertainment One and Just Play, has been named Vice President of Sales for EMEA and APAC, while Steve Markey, a seasoned professional most recently with Hog Wild Toys, will lead sales efforts across North America and LATAM as VP of Sales, Americas. Both executives will report directly to Wyncor’s Chief Operating Officer, Helena Perheentupa.
With products already available in 45+ countries at leading retail outlets such as Target, Fred Meyer, Meijer, and Amazon, Wyncor’s says its core mission is “to offer speed and flexibility to retailers and partners, exceptional product development in collaboration with partners’ IP content, and deliver premium quality and innovative products to consumers.”
The company was recently founded by Perheentupa, who was formerly a top licensing and marketing executive with high-profile licensors like ZAG Entertainment, Mattel Inc. and Procter & Gamble. During her 13-year career with Mattel, Perheentupa rose through the ranks to become head of licensing for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. As Mattel’s head of licensing, she was responsible for overseeing approximately 150 licensees across more than 25 retail categories.
As COO of the company, Wyncor is now working to beef up the company’s sales by hiring top executives in the industry, starting with Markey and Dieckman.
“Ami and Steve are accomplished leaders with global experience who can expertly guide our global sales strategy, planning, and execution,” said Perheentupa. “We’re excited to announce these top-level appointments following an outstanding launch at the Nuremberg Toy Fair for our diverse range of innovative products, including patented toys such as the Miraball, ReClay, and SwopPop,, as well as other unique offerings that include Mon Ami, and Oozy Squeezy.
Wyncor holds global rights from powerhouse companies like Paramount, Hasbro, ZAG, and Emoji Company, for new products launching in Spring/Summer 2024.
“With unprecedented interest in our toys from buyers around the globe, including products for world-leading brands from Paramount, Hasbro, ZAG, and Emoji Company, our path forward is to be bold and fearless, and we have the team in place to execute this mission.”
Dieckman said she’s excited to join a company that, while newly established, already has a strong portfolio of proprietary IP, as well as licensing deals with major brands.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to join the newly established Wyncor and be part of the original team, led by Helena, to bring rich and immersive products to children around the world,” added Dieckman. “We have such an incredible portfolio of innovative toys and powerhouse brands, including PAW Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Peppa Pig, My Little Pony, Transformers, Monopoly, Emoji, and Miraculous, that will soon be at retail everywhere, offering rich, immersive, and fun experiences to fans.”
Markey agreed, saying he believes Wyncor is well positioned for rapid growth. “Wyncor is uniquely positioned to become a major force in the rapidly evolving toy business with its advanced approach to product development and manufacturing, which allows the company to respond promptly to evolving market trends and offer brands the opportunity to regularly offer new limited edition product lines for collectability and seasonal play,” said Markey. “This is an incredibly exciting time to join the company and work closely together with Helena and Ami to bring Wyncor’s inventive and relevant products to retail.”
Most recently, Dieckman served as VP of Customer Engagement EMEA & Latin America for Just Play following her 10-year tenure at Entertainment One, where she served as SVP of International Licensing, overseeing a global merchandising portfolio of lifestyle, family, and entertainment brands including preschool brand Peppa Pig and the superhero success story PJ Masks. She previously served in the content distribution sector, including roles at TV Loonland, ITV, and Entertainment Rights.
Markey has more than 20 years of expertise in the toy industry. He served most recently as VP, Sales and Marketing at Hog Wild Toys overseeing the company’s internal sales team as well as creating an international distributor network in 30+ countries. He has also served as Vice President of Sales at Green Toys, Head of Global Sales at Crazy Aaron’s, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at PlanToys.
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