St. Louis-based Cepia Toys has hired sales veteran Leslie Peck to head up its North American sales division. 

Reporting to founder and CEO James Russell Hornsby, Peck will oversee the toyco’s sales team and develop best-in-class retail partnerships in her newly created role as head of sales for NA. She joined the company this month, just as Cepia is preparing to roll out two new toy lines at retail next year—Decora Girlz (collectible dolls inspired by the Japanese fashion scene) and Zhu Zhu Aquarium (aquatic plush pets). 

Peck previously worked for a year as a sales director at Moose Toys, where she oversaw sales initiatives for several brands, including the launch of its Beast Lab action figure playsets earlier this year. All tolled, she has more than 15 years of sales experience in the toy industry, and has served as a senior planning manager at Walmart and a sales manager at Hasbro. 

Besides new product launches, Peck will oversee sales for several of Cepia’s “Vs” sub-brands of blind-bag plush collectibles, including Cats Vs Pickles, Dogs Vs Squirrels and Bears Vs Donuts.