Mattel Enhances Leadership Team
Mattel, Inc., announced the appointment of four executives to key senior roles this morning.
• Richard Gros, chief human resources officer
• Juliana Chugg, global core brands officer
• Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, chief content officer
• John Vandemore, chief financial officer, global brands and commercial
“Today’s announcement is an important step towards reinvigorating our culture and increasing accountability, as we accelerate our efforts to deliver enhanced creativity, innovation, and financial performance,” said Christopher Sinclair, Mattel chairman and CEO, in a statement.
Richard Gros, chief human resources officer, will report to Sinclair. Gros has 30 years of experience in human resources with proven expertise in global talent acquisition and assessment, organizational strategy and development, succession planning, and culture building. He spent nearly two decades at PepsiCo., including significant time in emerging markets, where he led the opening of offices in China, India, and Russia. In addition, he has served as CHRO for publicly traded companies including Caribiner International, United Rentals, and Cambridge Solutions, and founded an executive search consulting company targeted at Fortune 500 and emerging growth companies.
Juliana Chugg, global core brands officer, will oversee all aspects of marketing strategy, creative execution, and product development across Mattel’s iconic brands and will be responsible for driving continued innovation throughout the portfolio. She will report to Richard Dickson, Mattel’s president and COO. Chugg joins Mattel from General Mills, Inc., where she was a proven leader in operating multi-branded portfolios. Most recently she served as president of the company’s Meals division, which includes brands such as Progresso, Old El Paso, and Betty Crocker, where she managed all aspects of the multi-billion dollar business and oversaw impressive sales growth across the portfolio. She also served as president of the company’s Pillsbury division. Chugg also serves on the board of directors of VF Corporation, one of the world’s largest fashion companies. Earlier in her career, she held product management and general management roles at Berri Australia.
Catherine Balsam-Schwaber will join Mattel in the new role of chief content officer, where she will lead Mattel’s efforts to implement an integrated strategy for content creation and distribution, digital, and media that connects consumers with the company’s brands in meaningful and innovative ways. Balsam-Schwaber will report to Dickson. She joins Mattel from NBCUniversal, where she led corporate content and innovation agency. She also directed transformative content strategies at AOL, Time Warner, MTV, and iVillage. She began her career in the White House Communications Office and later joined NBC News as a producer for the flagship NBC Nightly News program.
John Vandemore, chief financial officer, global brands and commercial, will lead a new brand finance group, reporting to Dickson with a functional reporting line to Kevin Farr, Mattel’s CFO. He will be responsible for financial strategy and performance metrics for the global brand portfolio, as well as the North America and International commercial organizations. Vandemore most recently served as CFO and treasurer of International Gaming Technology, where he was a member of the executive leadership team. Prior to that, he held leadership roles with The Walt Disney Company, including CFO of the Walt Disney Imagineering division. Previously he served as an associate with AlixPartners, where he helped guide numerous companies through successful turnarounds.