Ravensburger AG, one of the world’s leading makers of toys, puzzles, and games, has announced an expansion to their executive structure. Filip Francke will lead the company’s rapidly growing gaming division as Global Head of Games. His role within Ravensburger AG will expand to focus on all the company’s gaming ventures, including the company’s highly anticipated entry into the billion-dollar trading card game (TCG) market later this year with Disney Lorcana. Concurrently, Stephane Madi, formerly Head of Ravensburger Canada, has been named as CEO of Ravensburger North America, where he will oversee the company’s portfolio and operations in the United States and Canada.
“Filip has overseen two important areas of our company during periods of rapid growth with passion and great dedication. As we enter the TCG market, we will rely heavily on his leadership and ingenuity to successfully guide this venture,” said Clemens Maier, CEO of Ravensburger AG. “At the same time, Stephane will bring his commercial expertise and vast industry knowledge to his new role and continue to build Ravensburger’s brands into household names throughout the U.S. and Canada.”
Francke has served as CEO of Ravensburger North America since joining the company in 2017 from Helly Hansen and added the title of Global Head of Games in 2019. Under his leadership, Ravensburger North America has experienced exponential growth across their board games, puzzles and toys categories. In particular, Francke has ushered in the award-winning Villainous board game franchise, which currently includes Disney, Marvel and Star Wars lines and has sold more than 3.5 million units world-wide since launching in 2018. As his role expanded to include oversight of games, Francke also played key roles in the company’s successful acquisition of ThinkFun and investment in crowdfunding platform Gamefound, which grew their crowd funding revenue by more than 50% in 2022.
Madi is an established veteran of the toy and games industry who joined Ravensburger in 2014 and assumed the position of Head of Ravensburger Canada in 2020. Prior to his roles with Ravensburger, he worked with Mega Brands as a part of their North American commercial team. As Head of Ravensburger Canada, Madi grew the company into one of Canada’s Top 10 Toys & Games companies. He also played a vital role in Ravensburger’s commercial team, overseeing business growth in both the United States and Canada. In his new role, Madi will oversee Ravensburger AG’s portfolio of brands in the United States and Canada, including Ravensburger, BRIO, ThinkFun and Wonder Forge.