Dubai, UAE – 24 September, 2026 – Mattel, Inc., a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world, announced today a new category-led leadership structure for its Consumer Products business across EMEA.

The new structure follows the recent appointment of Jessica Kelly as Senior Director of Consumer Products, EMEA and is designed to deepen category expertise, strengthen collaboration with licensing, retail and commercial partners, and enable a more global approach, whilst helping Mattel and its partners identify and act on new growth opportunities across the region.

Under the new model, Mattel’s EMEA Consumer Products business will be organised around five key pillars: Softlines; Hardlines; Food/Health & Beauty Aids (HBA)/Quick Service Restaurants (QSR); PEM; and Retail Franchise Activation.  

The newly appointed Consumer Products EMEA leads are:

  • André Moreira has been appointed Director, Softlines. André joined Mattel in 2019 and most recently served as Senior Manager of Consumer Products for Benelux & Nordics and Softlines Lead, EMEA, overseeing the licensed business across six markets and the regional Softlines portfolio.
  • Natalie Berling-Noé has been appointed Lead, Hardlines. With more than seven years of experience at Mattel across different stages of her career, she brings extensive expertise in brand marketing, trade and customer marketing, and licensing, alongside previous leadership roles in the toy and entertainment industry.
  • Kasia Gruszka-Mierzwa has been appointed Lead of Food, Health & Beauty and Quick Service Restaurants. With 20 years of experience at Mattel across local and regional roles, Kasia most recently led Consumer Products Licensing across Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
  • Isidora Tassopoulou has been appointed Director, PEM. During her 25 years at Mattel across Marketing and Consumer Products, Isidora has held regional leadership roles spanning Softlines, Hardlines and Food/FMCG, with extensive experience in licensing, market development and strategic partnerships across EMEA.
  • Caroline Daget has been appointed Lead, Retail Franchise Activation. She most recently led Licensing for Mattel France, following senior licensing and partnership roles at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee and Warner Bros. Discovery.
  • Mara Verze has been appointed Lead, Direct-to-Retail (DTR). Mara joined Mattel in 2024 to lead the UK and Ireland licensed products business and strategic brand partnerships, bringing more than 15 years of international experience across multi-category licensing and fashion retail.
  • Eleonora Schiavoni has been appointed Lead, Apparel. With over 25 years of experience across licensing, consumer products, fashion, retail and brand partnerships, she most recently led Mattel’s Consumer Products business across Italy and Iberia.

The new Consumer Products leadership team will provide licensees, retailers and commercial partners with more specialized category leadership and a more consistent approach across EMEA, supporting closer collaboration and helping to identify and act on new growth opportunities. The leaders will also represent Consumer Products within their respective markets, helping to ensure the business remains closely connected to the local consumer dynamics, partner needs and commercial opportunities.

Jessica Kelly, Senior Director of Consumer Products at EMEA said: “Consumer Products plays an important role in bringing Mattel’s brands and franchises into fans’ everyday lives through new products and experiences. By combining deeper category expertise with strong local market knowledge, this new structure and talented group of people will enable us to collaborate more closely with our partners, respond to emerging consumer and cultural opportunities, and create more relevant ways for fans to engage with the brands they love.” 

Mattel will be at BLE from October 6-8 at stand A141.