Ynon Kreiz Named Chairman of Mattel Board

Ynon Kreiz, a director of Mattel since June 2017, has been appointed non-executive chairman of the board of directors, effective at this year’s annual meeting of stockholders.

Kreiz previously served as chairman and CEO of Maker Studios, Endemol Group and Fox Kids Europe. At Mattel, he is taking over for Christopher A. Sinclair, executive chairman of the board and former CEO of the company, who is retiring at the end of his term.

Michael J. Dolan, independent lead director of the Mattel board, remarked: “Over the past several months, the board has benefited immensely from Ynon’s deep expertise across digital, media and entertainment. Ynon has cutting-edge perspective on areas essential to our transformation strategy, giving the board full confidence that he is the right person to succeed Chris as chairman at this critical juncture in Mattel’s history.

“On behalf of the board and management team, I want to extend my sincere thanks to Chris for his many years of service to Mattel, both as CEO and executive chairman. Chris’s contributions to Mattel are innumerable and we wish him the very best in his well-deserved retirement.”

“As we continue our steps to transform Mattel for the future, we are committed to regularly refreshing and diversifying the composition of our board to ensure rapid progress toward delivering the growth and profitability expected of a toy market leader and innovator,” noted Margo Georgiadis, the CEO of Mattel. “Ynon’s thought leadership is instrumental to helping us unlock the value of our incredible global IP portfolio and deepen our consumer engagement for a digital age. I am excited about partnering with him even more deeply to accelerate our progress.”

“Mattel is an iconic global company with beloved brands and a unique ability to connect with consumers of all ages,” added Kreiz. “As we work to build on these strengths and position Mattel for growth, we are laser-focused on ensuring the company reaches its full potential in a dynamic and rapidly evolving marketplace. Under Margo’s leadership, Mattel’s board and management team have taken aggressive steps to reinvent the company. Together, we are committed to delivering on our strategic pillars and to creating long-term value for our shareholders.”