Following the departure of FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment president Sander Schwartz earlier this month, the company has now tapped former Mattel exec Rick Glankler to serve as EVP and GM of the division.

Based in New York and reporting to FremantleMedia’s COO Sangeeta Desai, Glankler will take responsibility for consumer products, TV sales and brand management in the kids and family division. He will oversee all creative and commercial aspects of the business with the overall responsibility of continuing to grow FremantleMedia’s portfolio of brands.

Under the new structure, Bob Higgins, EVP creative and production, Carl Lumbard, head of global licensing and consumer products, Joss Duffield VP distribution and sales and Tessa Moore, VP brand management, will continue to lead in their respective business areas, reporting directly into Glankler.

Glankler joins FremantleMedia from Mattel/Fisher Price, where he helped lead the integration and global brand management of the HIT properties within the Fisher-Price division as part of Mattel’s acquisition of HIT Entertainment in February 2012.