Schleich has named two top-tier executives to lead the company’s U.S.-based operations. Schleich has promoted David Albert to chief operating officer and appointed Annie Laurie Zomermaand as chief commercial officer. Both executives are also managing directors of Schleich USA.
In his new position, Albert is overseeing the company’s operational areas, including logistics, demand and supply planning, customer service, finance, global analytics, and IT. Zomermaand is leading Schleich’s sales, marketing and human resources teams. She will also help shape the company’s overall business strategy.
Albert joins Schleich USA from the company’s headquarters in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, where he was most recently director of strategic business development for Schleich GmbH. He is credited with the successful launch of the Schleich web shop and the relaunch of the new website. He will remain responsible for the continuous development of Schleich’s global e-commerce activities and is now also spearheading the toymaker’s direct-to-consumer program. Prior to his previous position, Albert, who joined Schleich in 2014, was head of product management.
Zomermaand has extensive toy industry experience and a proven track record of success with key retail partners and major brands. Most recently, she was director of consumer sales at Learning Resources, a global manufacturer of educational toys. Before that, she held the post of vice-president of sales at LeapFrog, a leader in innovative learning toys. Zomermaand began her toy industry career at The Lego Group, where she rose to the position of director of customer development for several mass retailer accounts.