Are you hiring—or being promoted, changing jobs, retiring, launching a new company, or otherwise changing your employment? Email Jen at jen@plainlanguagemedia.com and we’ll announce the news in our next issue of Who’s News.
Sanrio names Craig Takiguchi as their new COO. Having previously headed up new business development, Craig brings a new vision for expansion into the digital and entertainment space as well as collaborating with high profile brands to the company.
Industry stalwart Stephen Teglas is named SVP Global Fashion, Home & Infant for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. In his new role, Teglas will be responsible for developing, managing and executing global licensing deals across the fashion, home and infant categories as well as appropriate channels.
The Intl. Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) welcomes Elias Fasja-Cohen, CEO & Founder of Tycoon Enterprises, and Brian Goldner, Chairman & CEO of Hasbro, as the 2018 inductees to the LIMA Licensing Hall of Fame. This year’s Hall of Fame Induction will take place Tuesday, May 22, at the LIMA Licensing Awards Ceremony during Licensing Expo 2018 in Las Vegas.
Sergi Reitg steps down as CEO of Spain-based global kids and family distribution company Imira Entertainment. He is replaced by former Disney and NBCUniversal senior exec Paul Robinson.
Sony CFO Kenichiro Yoshida will step into the CEO role, replacing Kaz Hirai. Hirai, in turn, will become chairman of the company.
Sony Pictures Entertainment Group streamlines operations under chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra. President of Distribution for Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Keith Le Goy now oversees Home Entertainmen. All SPT networks report to new SPT head (and former Hulu CEO) Mike Hopkins; marketing teams will report to the business unit they support. Leaving the company are President Worldwide Networks Andy Kaplan; SPT President & CMO Sheraton Kalouria; and Sony Pictures Entertainment President of Home Entertainment Man Jit Singh.
Gary E. Knell, President & CEO of the National Geographic Society, is tapped to serve as CEO of National Geographic Partners. He replaces the exiting Declan Moore.
Meredith appoints Tom Harty as the company’s President & CEO and Steve Lacy as the executive chairman.
Barnes & Noble taps Timothy Mantel to serve as its Chief Merchandising Officer; he oversees categories including books, toys and games, gifts, newsstand, music, and entertainment.
WWE promotes George Barrios and Michelle Wilson to serve as Co-Presidents and has appointed both to its board of directors.
NASCAR makes key leadership appointments, including sending Jim Cassidy to the new leadership position of Chief Intl. Officer, reporting to Steve O’Donnell, EVP & Chief Racing Development Officer. Cassidy will grow the NASCAR brand internationally and oversee all international competition and commercial operations. Meanwhile, Chad Seigler will now serve as VP Intl. Business Development and Ben Kennedy as General Manager NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Icelandic character-based lifestyle brand Tulipop names Björg Arnardottir as its new Licensing Manager, with responsibility for spearheading the growth of the brand’s licensing business.
Unruly names Norm Johnson, most recently global CEO of Mindshare FAST and Mindshare’s global chief digital officer, as its new CEO.
Longtime Diamond book executive Kuo-Yu Liang joins ReedPOP as Global Director of Business Development, concentrating on Asia from his base in Seattle, Washington. ReedPOP currently has nine shows in the region—in China, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, and India.
Alexandar Vassilev, formerly top Google brass, is appointed CEO of 7TV—Discovery Communications and ProSiebenSat.1’s joint premium direct-to-consumer entertainment streaming service in Germany.
Former Visual Data execs Anita O’Donnell and Yives Reed launch a media entertainment management consultancy, Media Minds, designed to bridge the gap between technology and content, people and platforms.
Global kids content distributor Jetpack Distribution appoints Gillian Calvert Ridge to the newly created role of Global Head of Sales.
California-based management and prodco, The Cartel, adds Matthew Ellis as a manager to its animation and family division. His clients include Shea Fontana (DC Super Hero Girls, Wonder Woman, Dorothy From Oz), Amy Keating Rogers (The Powerpuff Girls, Care Bears) and Doug Wood (Tree Fu Tom, Bob the Builder, Enchantimals).
Irish prodco Sixteen South hires Emma Fernando as Head Production, Andrew Rajan as Commercial Director, and Darin McKeown as Controller.