Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment has revealed the nominees for its 13th Annual Wonder Women Awards, honoring top female executives who have had a positive impact on the business of play. The theme of the 2017 Awards Gala — being held Feb. 19 in New York City — is “WIT Changemakers: Playing it Forward.”
As previously announced, the 2017 Changemaker Award honoree is Geena Davis, co-founder and chair of the Bentonville Film Festival and founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; and the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Jill Barad, a former Chairman and CEO of Mattel, who shattered the glass ceiling when she became one of the most prominent female chief executives in America.
The nominees represent a broad swath of companies, including major industry Jazwares, Moose Toys, Mattel, Hasbro, Nickelodeon and Disney, and firms on the rise like ZAG Animation Studios.
2017 Wonder Women Awards nominees:
Licensing:
Jessica Blue, SVP, Licensing, UBM
Dianne Bellchambers, Business Manager, Australia, Moose Toys
Erin Stein, Publisher, Imprint-Macmillan Publishing
Hayley Maguire, Senior Director of Global Creative & Product Development, Hasbro Consumer Products
Jennifer Bennett, Senior Director, Strategic Development, Global Licensing & Entertainment Partnerships, Mattel
Karyn Weiss, SVP, Licensing & Business Development, Accessory Innovations
Marie Todd, Director of Licensing, Komar Kids
Meredith Norrie, Director, Marvel Licensing & Business Development, The Walt Disney Company
Sujata Luther, EVP, Consumer Insights, Nickelodeon
Entertainment:
André Lake Mayer, President, Global Brand Strategy & Consumer Products, ZAG Animation Studios
Cathy Galeota, SVP, Preschool Current Series, Nickelodeon
Meghan McCarthy, Co-Head, Storytelling, Hasbro
Julie Pistor, VP, Executive Producer, Mattel
Marketing:
Christina Schick, VP, Marketing, Madame Alexander Dolls
Claire Tindall, Senior Director, Marketing & Communications, Sphero
Deborah Salmon, President, Salmon Borre Group
Kristin Hamilton, Senior Director of Partner Brands, Hasbro
Laurie Conway, VP of Marketing, Alex Brands
Lesley Singleton, Managing Director & Head of Play, Playtime PR
Lisa Wuennemann, Director of Marketing, PlayMonster (formerly Patch Products)
Lynn Rosenblum, Marketing Consultant, Middle School Moguls
Marina Gorey, Chief of Staff, SuperAwesome
Sejal Shah Miller, VP, Global Marketing, Mattel
Sharon Vinderine, Founder and CEO, PTPA Media
Sheena Stephens, Group Vice President, MWWPR
Tamara Horowitz, VP and Executive Producer, Creative Content, Spin Master
Manufacturing:
Anita Choy, General Manager, Asia, Moose Toys
Anna Mowbray, Chief Operating Officer, Zuru Toys
Deirdre Cross, Director of Production, Forrest-Pruzan Creative
Gretchen Forrest, VP of Global Design & Development, Hasbro
Julia Prohaska, VP, Global Marketing, American Girl, Mattel
Kelly Woon, Senior Director & General Manager, Canada, Funrise
Laura Zebersky, Chief Operating Officer, Jazwares
Tara Badle, Director, Brand Management, Bandai America
Rising Star:
Annalisa Batista-Ferreira, Senior Global Brand Marketing Manager, Mattel
Catherine Croft Swanwick, Chief Executive Officer, Catilli Games
Jenny Kile, Founder/Inventor, Kardtects Building Cards
Julie Kerwin, Creator, IAmElemental
Karen Kilpatrick, VP, Marketing, JazWings
Kathryn Hardy, Senior Manager, Marvel Licensing, Disney Consumer Products
Kelley Williams, Co-Founder & CEO, Paige & Paxton
Kirsten Augustad de Molina, Senior Director, Operations & Logistics, WABA Fun
Laura Barta, President, Whole Wide World Toys
Lisa Pelletier, Chief Executive Officer, Bears2Go
Madeline Hunter, Vice President, Hunter Products
Marissa DiBartolo, Senior Editor & Director of Digital/Social Media at Toy Book/Toy Insider
Nicole Jakob, Founder & Chief Renegade, Part Time Renegade
Nikki Kennamer, Director of Global Brand Strategy & Marketing, Family Gaming, Hasbro
Stephanie Haggerty, Brand Manager, Moose Toys
Stephanie Simpson Bughi, Director, Global Brand Marketing, Funrise
