The Toy Association has brought in former Toys “R” Us chief marketing officer and global e-commerce GM Greg Ahearn as its new president and CEO. He replaces Steve Pasierb, who retired last month after nearly a decade in the role.
Starting on June 1, Ahearn will oversee the trade org’s flagship Toy Fair event in New York, as well as its new LA market preview in the fall. He’s also tasked with heading up regulatory affairs and representation, toy safety and ethics initiatives, member education, consumer outreach and The Toy Association’s partnership with philanthropic arm The Toy Foundation.
Ahearn was most recently a strategic advisor to kids interactive book company Readyland. But his previous industry experience includes a 12-year run at Toys “R” Us, where he served in a number of executive roles before being elevated to chief marketing officer and GM of global e-commerce in 2006. Notable achievements from his TRU tenure include five consecutive years of increased store sales and double-digit e-commerce growth and profitability. Earlier in his career, Ahearn also worked in senior leadership roles at LeapFrog, Hasbro and Mattel.