Mattel Announces New Brand Organization Leadership and Marketing Integration; Roberto Stanichi Promoted to Newly Created Role of EVP and Chief Global Brand Officer

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 2, 2025--

Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world, today announced a new brand organization leadership team to enhance Mattel’s global brand management strategy and accelerate growth of its entertainment business.

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Roberto Stanichi has been promoted to the newly created position of Executive Vice President and Chief Global Brand Officer to lead Mattel’s global brand organization. Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, will depart the company following a period of transition.

Stanichi brings to the new role 20 years of both international and U.S. leadership experience at the company, spanning key Mattel categories including Infant, Toddler, and Preschool, Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Vehicles. He was most recently Head of Vehicles and Building Sets. Stanichi has been a driving force behind the Hot Wheels franchise, on track for its eighth consecutive record year in 2025 and helped it become the #1 selling toy in the world. In Building Sets, he oversaw the recent launch of Mattel Brick Shop.

Jamie Cygielman, currently General Manager and President of American Girl, has been promoted to a newly created position as Global Head of Dolls, including Barbie and American Girl. Ted Wu, currently Senior Vice President of Design for Vehicles and Building Sets has been promoted to Global Head of Vehicles and Building Sets. Cygielman and Wu will report to Stanichi. Krista Berger will serve as Senior Vice President of Barbie, reporting to Cygielman.

The new structure will integrate marketing across Mattel’s Global Brands and Franchise teams to further align brand management in all consumer touchpoints and achieve greater consistency as part of a holistic execution of the company’s demand creation. This will enable Mattel to best leverage capabilities and resources as part of its brand management strategy.

Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel, said: “Roberto has driven the Vehicles category to new heights, embodying the Hot Wheels ‘challenger spirit’ and consistently leading with an enterprise mindset. He has successfully implemented the Mattel brand strategy across product and experiences to drive record-setting growth and will now bring that vision and execution to our global brand portfolio. Lisa is an exemplary brand strategist and operator and has made an indelible mark on the company, the industry, and countless team members and partners who have been privileged to work alongside her. We are grateful for her immeasurable contributions during her remarkable career with Mattel.”

Kreiz continued: “Our world-class leadership team is well-positioned to continue executing Mattel’s strategy to grow our IP-driven toy business and expand our entertainment offering.”

Jamie Cygielman brings to her expanded role over 30 years of expertise in brand management and commercial acumen. As GM and President of American Girl since 2019, Cygielman led the brand’s return to profitable growth. She had previously worked at Mattel, most notably leading Barbie globally during a key expansion phase for the brand. Prior to joining Mattel, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at Iconix Brand Group, among other industry leadership roles in fashion, beauty, and entertainment.

Ted Wu replaces Stanichi’s category leadership role in Vehicles and Building Sets. Over his 22-year career at Mattel, Wu has held roles in marketing, packaging, content creation, and product design. For the past decade, he has specialized in Vehicles Design, playing a pivotal role in driving the success of Hot Wheels and the broader Vehicles portfolio.

Krista Berger will continue to build on her 17 years of success at Mattel and expertise managing the Barbie brand, including driving growth, leading transformational initiatives, and strengthening its cultural relevance.

Stanichi said: “It is an honor to step into this expanded role at such an exciting time for Mattel. With brands at the center of all we do, we will strengthen our ability to lead with purpose, create cultural relevance, accelerate consumer-centric innovation, and unlock the full potential of our brands. I am grateful for the opportunity to help shape the future of a portfolio that is truly second to none.”

Cygielman added: “The strength of Mattel’s Dolls portfolio is matched only by its unlimited potential to reach and inspire a whole new generation of fans. I am excited to collaborate with the team to create new avenues of growth for Barbie and Dolls.”

Wu added: “Mattel’s Vehicles and Hot Wheels brands spark joy in fans round the world. The opportunity to advance our Vehicles brands from a category leadership position and guide the team into its next chapter is truly a dream come true.”

McKnight’s contributions to Mattel span more than 26 years. In her most recent role as Chief Brand Officer since 2023, McKnight has guided Mattel’s brand portfolio through a period of significant change and has grown key categories. Prior to that, she led the Mattel Dolls portfolio and was instrumental in transforming Barbie into the #1 Global Doll Property and the brand strategy and award-winning marketing activation for the Barbie movie. Under her leadership, Mattel secured major entertainment licenses, relaunched Monster High, and advanced Barbie’s social mission with the 2018 launch of the Barbie Dream Gap Project.

McKnight said in reflecting on her time at Mattel: “The past 26 years at Mattel have given me the privilege of working with some of the most iconic brands, passionate colleagues, and inspiring partners in the world. As I pass the baton to Roberto and the best-in-class team at Mattel, I do so with great confidence in the company's continued success. I am excited for my next chapter, and profoundly grateful for the opportunity to bring joy to millions of children and families around the world through our products and experiences.”

About Mattel

Mattel is a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. We engage consumers and fans through our franchise brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends™, UNO®, Masters of the Universe®, Matchbox®, Monster High®, Polly Pocket®, and Barney®, as well as other popular properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include toys, content, consumer products, digital and live experiences. Our products are sold in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. Visit us at mattel.com

Krista Berger

Ted Wu

Jamie Cygielman

Lisa McKnight

Roberto Stanichi

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas man who at one time escaped from custody and was on the run for three days after being sentenced to death for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend nearly 27 years ago was scheduled on Wednesday to be the first person executed in the U.S. this year.

Charles Victor Thompson was condemned for the April 1998 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39; and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30, at her apartment in the Houston suburb of Tomball.

Thompson, 55, was scheduled to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.

Prosecutors say Thompson and Hayslip had been romantically involved for a year but split after Thompson “became increasingly possessive, jealous and abusive.”

According to court records, Hayslip and Cain were dating when Thompson came to Hayslip’s apartment and began arguing with Cain around 3 a.m. the night of the killings. Police were called and told Thompson to leave the apartment complex. Thompson returned three hours later and shot both Hayslip and Cain, who died at the scene. Hayslip died in the hospital a week later.

“The Hayslip and Cain families have waited over twenty-five years for justice to occur,” prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in court filings.

Thompson’s attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his execution, arguing Thompson was not allowed to refute or confront the prosecution's evidence that concluded Hayslip died from a gunshot wound to the face. Thompson's attorneys have argued Hayslip actually died from flawed medical care she received after the shooting that resulted in severe brain damage sustained from oxygen deprivation following a failed intubation.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Monday denied Thompson’s request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty.

“If he had been able to raise a reasonable doubt as to the cause of Ms. Hayslip’s death, he would not be guilty of capital murder,” Thompson’s attorneys said in court filings with the Supreme Court.

Prosecutors said a jury has already rejected the claim and, concluded under state law that Thompson is responsible for Hayslip’s death because it “would not have occurred but for his conduct.”

Hayslip’s family had filed a lawsuit against one of her doctors, alleging medical negligence during her treatment left her brain-dead. A jury in 2002 found in favor of the doctor.

Thompson had his death sentence overturned and had a new punishment trial held in November 2005. A jury again ordered him to die by lethal injection.

Shortly after being resentenced, Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail in Houston by walking out the front door virtually unchallenged by deputies. Thompson later told The Associated Press that after meeting with his attorney in a small interview cell, he slipped out of his handcuffs and orange jail jumpsuit and left the room, which was unlocked. Thompson waived an ID badge fashioned out of his prison ID card to get past several deputies.

“I got to smell the trees, feel the wind in my hair, grass under my feet, see the stars at night. It took me straight back to childhood being outside on a summer night,” Thompson said about his three days on the run during a 2005 interview with the AP. He was arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana, while trying to arrange for wire transfers of money from overseas so he could make it to Canada.

If the execution is carried out, Thompson would be the first person put to death this year in the United States. Texas has historically held more executions than any other state, though Florida had the most executions in 2025, with 19.

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This photo provided by Texas Department of Criminal Justice. shows Texas death row inmate Charles Victor Thompson. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)