Character World bolsters EMEA team with three senior appointments BRANDORA Editorial Staff - August 2014

 
New senior appointments have been made by leading licensing business Character World to further strengthen its growing EMEA team. This follows the recent announcement that the business hit its ambitious sales targets in EMEA for 2013*.

Andreas Niedergesäss has joined the business as EMEA Director, while Kerry Fox-Long has been appointed Head of Creative EMEA and Martin Oesten as Territory Manager for the Nordic and Baltic regions.

Between them they possess decades of industry experience and have all previously held senior positions with prestigious licensors such as Disney and Nickleodeon. They will capitalise on their industry knowledge to take ownership of different aspects of Character World’s ambitious EMEA strategy.

Following initial penetration into the EMEA market in 2012, the business has made significant inroads, securing contracts and creating successful product ranges with globally recognised brands including One Direction, Super Mario Bros. and Peppa Pig.

Mr Niedergesäss, who is leading Character World’s expansion into EMEA, said: “We’re enjoying huge success in the EMEA market at the moment. We’ve had to overcome a number of hurdles to get where we are and it’s been a real learning process, but we’re really gaining traction now. There are numerous considerations when entering this market, such as adapting products for specific climates and cultural trends, meeting language requirements and selecting licenses with little cultural dependency.”

Danny Schweiger, joint managing director at Character World, added: “These appointments double our senior EMEA team, further strengthen our position in the market and demonstrate our commitment to our customers, retailers and licensors. We’re delighted with our EMEA performance so far and are currently negotiating for number of additional contracts. Of course, that’s not to ignore where it all began, in the UK market, where we will continue to pursue growth.”

Character World has embraced a hugely successful year, having reported a 31% turnover increase, from £22.3 million in 2012 to £29.2 million in 2013. The business will be exhibiting at stand HO50 at Brand Licensing Europe and would love to meet retailers, licensors and media to discuss the business and any opportunities.