Veteran toy industry executive Geoff Walker has been named president and CEO of Dallas, Texas-based toymaker KidKraft, effective immediately. Walker will also serve as a member of the company’s board of directors.
With 20-plus years of experience, Walker will support KidKraft’s international expansion plans to grows its popular dollhouse, kitchen, outdoor, vehicle, furniture and toy lines. The company’s products are currently available at more than 2,800 retailers in 90-plus countries worldwide. This high-level appointment comes in the wake of KidKraft’s acquisition by New York-based private equity firm MidOcean Partners in July 2015.
In his most recent role as EVP and chief strategic technology officer at Mattel, Walker oversaw an innovation incubator and a division that managed multiple properties and partnerships with companies such as Disney and Warner Bros. And before that, he was EVP and GM for Mattel’s North American commercial division, EVP of the Fisher-Price global brands team, and GM and SVP of Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia.