Mattel Executive Leadership Joins Warner Bros. Consumer Products as Keynote Speaker at Licensing Expo Virtual on August 26

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Licensing Expo Virtual, the meeting place for the global licensing community to learn, network, strike deals in partnership with industry trade association Licensing International, today announced Mattel's President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson and Head of Global Consumer Products and Franchise Marketing Roz Nowicki will keynote Day 3 of the event, which is set for August 24-26. Richard and Roz will take the virtual stage in a fireside chat titled "Mattel and Living its Brand Purpose," exploring how the IP-driven, high performing toy and entertainment company empowers the next generation by introducing purpose-driven products from their suite of iconic brands. To tune into the free-to-attend keynote presentation, register here.

Joining senior executives from Warner Bros. Consumer Products, who will open the event as keynote speakers on Day 1, Richard and Roz will address the event's thousands of attendees confirmed to date, who will get an inside look into building and progressing the toy giant's brand purpose. Attendees will benefit from the duo's combined experience that exceeds 50 years of leading brand and innovation strategy, design and development, and franchise marketing. They are responsible for the worldwide growth of brands including Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Peanuts, Hot Wheels, among many others.

The keynote presentation will begin at 8:00 a.m. PST/11:00 a.m. EST, followed by a final day of live content including the new Digital Brand Roadshows, Retail and Sustainability Clinics, industry networking, and many meeting opportunities with hundreds of leading brand owners. "Year after year, Mattel is an industry leader in delivering new products that not only excite consumers but bring characters and stories to life in a meaningful way. We are thrilled to announce that Richard and Roz will impart learnings from their work that spans a full range of toy and entertainment brands across categories," Anna Knight, VP of Licensing at Informa Markets, remarks.

"We are proud to represent Mattel at the upcoming Licensing Expo Virtual event this August and speak to a topic that is foundational to our business: delivering purpose-driven products that help shape how children perceive, engage with, and someday, influence the world around them. Licensing is a powerful tool that enables us to build brand stories and reach a global audience –Roz and I could not be more excited to share our learnings that attendees can incorporate into their work," said Richard Dickson, Mattel's President and Chief Operating Officer.

In addition to announcing the Day 3 keynote, Licensing Expo Virtual today also revealed a selection of exhibitors participating in the all-new Digital Brands Roadshows, a collection of curated exhibitor case studies designed to spotlight compelling brands and IP broadcast live at the live event. Among those participating includes:

• New Exhibitors to the Event with Chan-Chan, Playlife Media, Piney: The Lonesome Pine and Boat Rocker
• Heritage & Nostalgia with MGM and Art Brand Studios
• Licensing Around the World with Wildbrain CPLG and Yale University
• The Live Experience with Penske and Nickelodeon
• Animation & Anime with Viz Media

Licensing Expo Virtual also confirmed some of the experts as part of the exclusive retail program, composed of ‘Ask me Anything’ live Q&As and sessions on how brand licensing can support your retail business. Speakers for this program include Steven Heller, Founder, The Brand Liaison; Andrew Cohan, Co-Founder/Co-CEO, ACI Licensing; Sharon Weisman, CEO, Power Station Studios; Michael Connolly, Founder & CEO, Retail Monster; Julia Redman, Retail Expert, Buyers Eye; Ankit Mangal, Director, Wayfair; The Insights Family.

To view the full 2021 Licensing Expo agenda, visit here.

Press interested in attending the event can secure credentials here.

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About Licensing Expo

Launched in 1980, Licensing Expo is the world's largest and most influential annual tradeshow dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Every year, more than 5,000 brands and 16,000 retailers, licensees, manufacturers, distributors, and licensing agents attend Licensing Expo from more than 70 countries. Licensing Expo is a part of the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets, the licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide licensing opportunities around the world by bringing brands and products together.

About Global Licensing Group

The Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets is the licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide licensing opportunities around the world by bringing brands and products together. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group at Informa Markets: Licensing Expo, Brand & Licensing Innovation Summits, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo Shanghai, License Global magazine, License Global Daily E-News, and The Licensing Mixtape podcast. Global Licensing Group events are sponsored by Licensing International.

About Licensing International

Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the global licensing industry. Licensing International's mission is to foster the growth and expansion of licensing around the world, raise the level of professionalism for licensing practitioners, and create greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the business community at large. Founded in 1985, Licensing International members in over 40 countries enjoy access to an array of benefits, including extensive educational programming and worldwide networking events. Visit LicensingInternational.org for more information and to utilize licensing's definitive online resource.