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Nominated to serve their first terms on the TIA Board were Kerry Cunnion, Senior Vice President of Sales at TOMY International; Howard Kahn , Chairman of Madame Alexander and CEO of Kahn Lucas; and Bruce Raiffe, President of GUND. Re-elected for a second term, set to expire in 2017, were John Barbour, President of LeapFrog; Richard Barry, Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officers at Toys R Us; and Manuel Torres, Senior Vice President of Global Toys and Publishing at Nickelodeon Consumer Products. It was announced that Tim Kilpin, President, Chief Commercial Officer at Mattel, would fill the Board seat left vacant by Mattel’s David Allmark. The following retiring Board members were recognized for their service: Joel Berger of Cardinal Industries and Pete Henseler of TOMY International. The Annual General Meeting also included a “State of the Association” address delivered by TIA President and CEO, Carter Keithley. “TIA is thriving, and has achieved a new level of service and value to the toy industry and its members,” Keithley said, noting that TIA has expanded and evolved over the years to keep pace with a rapidly changing industry. “We now provide research studies, informational webinars, technical support, and a variety of promotional opportunities to help our members flourish.” In his closing remarks, TIA Chairman John Gessert said, “TIA had a phenomenal year, with membership hitting record highs. Our ranks swelled by 12% in 2014, which tells me that toy companies are finding immense value in the many benefits TIA offers. Looking ahead, we need to maintain an emphasis on not only meeting our members’ existing needs, but also creating opportunities for our members on a domestic and global scale.” Open to both members and non-members, the 2015 TIA Annual General Meeting was held in conjunction with the 112th North American International Toy Fair currently underway at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. |
