Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment will honor Pam Kaufman, President, Global Consumer Products, Viacom/Nickelodeon and Gaye Dean, a Target Corporation veteran, at the 15th Annual Wonder Women Awards!
Kaufman will be awarded the Wonder Women Mentorship Award. “Pam is not only an inspiration, she’s a movement unto herself! Not only does she drive Viacom’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, but her passion for developing the next generation of leaders is infectious,” says Jen Caveza, Senior Vice President, Toys, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products and co-chair, Wonder Women.
“She has created a culture and environment where team members feel empowered, respected and constantly learning.” Dean will receive the Wonder Women in Retailing award. “Gaye Dean has an extraordinary creative vision, strategic approach and collaborative spirit that bring brands to life at Target for millions of customers who experience the immersive programs she executes hand-and-hand with our industry,” says Janice Ross, Managing Partner, Brand Fresh Licensing and co-chair, Wonder Women.
Additionally, Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment have also announced that two Nickelodeon staff members have received nominations in the 2019 edition of the prestigious awards! Erica Dibacco, Manager, Toys, Nickelodeon has been nominated in the Rising Star / Corporate category, and Lindsay Britt, VP, Client & Business Development, Nickelodeon has been nominated in the Sales category!
The 15th Annual Wonder Women Awards honors high-ranking female executives, entrepreneurs and changemakers for their impact on the toy licensing and entertainment communities. The 15th Annual Wonder Woman Awards is set to take place Feb. 17 at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. The event will coincide with New York International Fall Toy Fair. For more information about the Wonder Women Awards, please visit
https://www.womenintoys.com/wonder-woman-awards. Tickets for the event are available now
here.
A huge congratulations to Pam Kaufman, Gaye Dean, Erica Dibacco, Lindsay Britt, and to everyone nominated in the 2019 Wonder Women Awards!
Update (2/19) - From
The Toy Book:
WOMEN IN TOYS, LICENSING & ENTERTAINMENT 2019 WONDER WOMEN REVEALED…It was a vibrant scene at Chelsea Piers in NYC last night as Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) revealed its 2019 Wonder Women winners at the
15th Annual Wonder Women Awards. The event, presented during Toy Fair New York, honored the best and brightest women in the industry, with 14 awards presented to women making waves across the toy industry, licensing and entertainment.
Among the highlights of the evening, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, direct from wrapping Star Wars: Episode IX in London, arrived to honor her friend, Pam Kaufman, president of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products, with Mentor of the Year.
Grammy-winner Yolanda Adams performed for the crowd, after which, Hasbro chief Brian Goldner took to the stage to present Target’s Gaye Dean with the Wonder Woman in Retailing award.
THE 2019 WONDER WOMEN HONOREES AND WINNERS:Mentor of the Year – Pam Kaufman – Viacom Nickelodeon
Retailer of the Year – Gaye Dean, Target
Wonder Girls – Mila and Emma
Creator / Inventor – Amy Pruzansky – Spin Master
Licensing – Gabriela Arenas – Sesame Workshop
Manufacturing – Nancy Sanchez – LEGO Systems, Inc.
Marketing – Juli Lennett – NPD
Rising Star / Corporate – Chrissy Helmich – Wicked Cool Toys; Kate Nichols – Spin Master
Rising Star / Independent – Marissa Louie – Animoodles; Natalie Rebot – Moonlite World
Sales – Marian Bossard – The Toy Association
Social Responsibility – Amy Knight – Hasbro
THE 2019 WONDER WOMEN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS:LIU – Zeynep Ecem Atabay
OTIS – Jessica Archibeque
University of Arkansas – Jessie Daspit
OCAD – Julia Babici
Stanford – Sarah Cook
FIT – Yang Liang
GenHeration / Wharton – Jelece Morris
GenHeration – Jelece Morris
Wharton – Lea Chen
“We kicked off an incredible Wonder Women Weekend and Toy Fair by being invited to ring the opening bell at NASDAQ on Friday morning,” says Genna Rosenberg CEO of GennComm and longtime Gala Co-Chair. “Followed by an incredible evening celebrating these amazing powerhouse women who are making their mark.”
“This years’ Award Winners are some of the highest achieving and most remarkable women in our industry”, added Jennifer Caveza, Senior Vice President of Toys and Business Development, at Nickelodeon Consumer Products. “It is truly an honor to celebrate their outstanding achievements and to watch them continue to lead our industry, while inspiring greatness”.
WIT thanks Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Disney, Spin Master, Mattel, LEGO, PlayMonster, Jazwares, The Bandai Foundation, and the many sponsors who support the organization year-round and help contribute to the success of the Wonder Women Gala. Proceeds from this event are used to fund scholarships, develop and maintain a full calendar of programs and networking events, and support initiatives for WIT’s members and its community.
The Toy Book is a supporting sponsor of WIT.
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Below is Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment's official press release announcing the exciting news, via
Retail Merchandiser:
Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment Announces 15th Annual Wonder Women Awards WinnersWomen in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) announced its 2019 Wonder Women winners at the
15th Annual Wonder Women Awards. The Awards coincided with the New York International Toy Fair, and honored the best and brightest women in the industry in a star-studded celebration. WIT presented 14 awards to women making an impact in toys, licensing and entertainment, including honorees Pam Kaufman, president of Viacom Nickelodeon Global Consumer Products, and Gaye Dean from Target. The evening included the President of Lucasfilm and prolific filmmaker, Kathleen Kennedy, presenting the Mentor of the Year Award to Kaufman, and a performance by Grammy award-winning artist Yolanda Adams.
WIT also presented four-year old Youtube Influencers, Mila and Emma, with the 2019 Wonder Girls Award, and presented scholarships to nine students from universities around the country to a sold-out room over 800 women and men who run the toy industry and support the organization’s mission to advance women business leaders.
The
2019 Wonder Women Honorees and Winners:· Mentor of the Year - Pam Kaufman - Viacom Nickelodeon
· Retailer of the Year - Gaye Dean, Target
· Wonder Girls - Mila and Emma
· Creator / Inventor - Amy Pruzansky - Spin Master
· Licensing - Gabriela Arenas - Sesame Workshop
· Manufacturing - Nancy Sanchez - LEGO Systems, Inc.
· Marketing - Juli Lennett - NPD
· Rising Star / Corporate - Chrissy Helmich – Wicked Cool Toys; Kate Nichols – Spin Master
· Rising Star / Independent - Marissa Louie – Animoodles;Natalie Rebot – Moonlite World
· Sales - Marian Bossard - The Toy Association
· Social Responsibility -Amy Knight – Hasbro
The
2019 Wonder Women Scholarship Recipients:· LIU - Zeynep Ecem Atabay
· OTIS - Jessica Archibeque
· University of Arkansas - Jessie Daspit
· OCAD - Julia Babici
· Stanford - Sarah Cook
· FIT - Yang Liang
· GenHeration / Wharton - Jelece Morris
· GenHeration - Jelece Morris
· Wharton - Lea Chen
“We kicked off an incredible Wonder Women Weekend and Toy Fair by being invited to ring the opening bell at NASDAQ on Friday morning,” said Genna Rosenberg CEO of GennComm and longtime Gala Co-Chair. “Followed by an incredible evening celebrating these amazing powerhouse women who are making their mark.”
“This years’ Award Winners are some of the highest achieving and most remarkable women in our industry”, said Jennifer Caveza, Senior Vice President of Toys and Business Development, at Nickelodeon Consumer Products. “It is truly an honor to celebrate their outstanding achievements and to watch them continue to lead our industry, while inspiring greatness”.
WIT would like to thank Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Disney, Spin Master, Mattel, LEGO, PlayMonster, Jazwares, The Bandai Foundation, and the many sponsors who support the organization year-round and help contribute to the success of the Wonder Women Gala. Proceeds from this event are used to fund scholarships, develop and maintain a full calendar of programs and networking events, and support initiatives for WIT’s members and its community.
# # #
ABOUT WOMEN IN TOYS, LICENSING & ENTERTAINMENTFounded in 1991, Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) / The WIT Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to foster a collaborative community that champions professional growth for women through leadership, networking and educational opportunities. WIT serves and supports women at all stages of their careers, from entrepreneurs and startups to seasoned industry veterans. The WIT Foundation grants scholarships to deserving students enrolled in industry-related undergraduate programs. WIT has 25 chapters throughout the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, France, the UK and Australia, with liaisons in Finland, Germany, India and Lebanon. Follow us on
Twitter,
Facebook and
LinkedIn.
###
Also, from
ForbesWomen:
Why Your Organization Needs A Chief Motivational OfficerShe might not have superhuman strength or a Lasso of Truth, but Pam Kaufman is certainly a Wonder Woman. This month, Kaufman, President of Viacom/Nickelodeon Global Consumer Products, was honored by Women in Toys and Entertainment as the recipient of the 2019 Wonder Women Mentorship Award in recognition of her track record of building strong teams that are motivated to do great work.
“When your people are fulfilled and firing on all cylinders, so will your business,” Kaufman says of her leadership style. “Giving my team the tools to be their best selves is a top priority for me.”
In fact, it’s so important to her that Kaufman likes to think of herself as the Chief Motivational Officer. “I love this term because my previous role was Chief Marketing Officer for Nickelodeon, and when I was promoted to lead Viacom’s Consumer Products business globally, I feel like I kept my CMO title, only now I am Chief Motivational Officer,” Kaufman explains.
“I believe a leader’s job is to set the business focus with clear goals and objectives, champion others, motivate, and provide resources to allow teams to thrive," she continues. "My goal is to empower my team and make them more effective at their jobs, and I spend most of my day advocating for both the business and for my team to have the right tools and resources to succeed.”
![]()
Pam Kaufman, President, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products, receives Mentor of the Year award at 15th annual Wonder Women Awards, presented by Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment (WIT), Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019, in New York.DIANE BONDAREFF/INVISION FOR WIT/AP IMAGES###
Update (2/26) - Via
WHOSAY:
Top Marketers On How To Drive Brand PurposeAccording to Viacom Velocity’s Culture of Proximity 2.0 study, young audiences want brands to fill a void that traditional institutions have left by participating in social and pop culture conversations.
The findings echo Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at BET Networks Jeanine Liburd’s
statement at last October’s Top 100 Women in Marketing event at Viacom, where she said, “In the space of brands who are going to win, it’s about courage. To create environments that don’t have ‘isms in them, you have to take an incredible risk and be O.K. with taking a revenue dip.”
This new environment, where brands cannot afford anymore to sit on the sidelines of potentially controversial issues,
was also discussed by entertainment icon LL Cool J and top marketers at the 2018 ANA Masters of Marketing in Orlando, Florida.
“I’m so proud of this,” Viacom/Nickelodeon President of Global Consumer Products Pam Kaufman told LL when sharing two of her company’s most notable initiatives during the last year. She explained MTV’s +1 the Vote campaign, which helped register an additional 800 voters leading to the midterm election, and the National Student Walkout to promote gun safety, when Viacom's channels went dark for 17 minutes “to promote gun safety and to make sure that we recognize what the students have to say.”
Articulating brand purpose, Amanda Brinkman, chief brand and communications officer at Deluxe Corporation, said, “Every company, big or small, needs to identify what their brand purpose is; what would the world be missing if they weren't in business,” she said. Brinkman added that, while the right and unique “brand action” isn’t always commenting on political issues, it should be something that advocates for consumers in a way that makes a difference to them. “If you have a platform or leverage to make a difference when it comes to policy, influence or advocacy, that's your responsibility to help do that.”
Eastern Bank is another company that, as its Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Peter Alexander says, “leans out on a number of issues,” including transgender and immigration rights. He admitted there'd been some “blowback” as they take a stand on these issues, but assured LL that they’ve also brought in new customers who aligned with said values.
Meanwhile, Procter & Gamble Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard said that nowadays “people expect more from [brands].” “People are looking for brands, what's your point of view? They want to know who is behind that camera, and the more they know there are human beings, that amazing,” he told LL, as long as said point of view “has to do with the brand.”
Aetna’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Bacus addressed the opioid crisis. She told LL that her company committed to reducing opioid consumption among its customers by 25% over three years. Bacus added that, in the long run, the campaign would help everyone by preventing unnecessary medication and allowing individuals and the company to save money in the long run.
Eric Reynolds, executive vice president at The Clorox Company, said that when he started his career, he was told to “sit down, shut up, work, do well and advance.” “[Nowadays] young people have a voice,” he told LL. “And if the company doesn't stand for their values they will walk. We want to be the kind of company where people feel like their opinion matters.”
Chief Marketing Officer at Deloitte Digital Alicia Hatch also addressed the issue. “We believe in looking forward; everyone has a place. It's a collective effort,” she told LL. “[At Deloitte] we’ve created space for this. It’s something that we did, that was on brand and allowed us to drive that conversation in a way that was authentic to us.”
Last but not least, Chief Marketing Officer for Marchon Eyewear Thomas Burkhardt offered a refreshing perspective. “If a company stands for, say, LGBT rights, how that could be controversial? It says humans are valuable. Those companies show more respect to their employees as well as their customers,” he concluded.
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More Nick:Pam Kaufman Says Licensing 'Best Industry in the World' | BLE 2018!Originally published: Saturday, January 12, 2019.Original source: License Global.
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