Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products has added its first Moscow-based licensing executive as the company looks to drive more brand extension in Russia and CIS. Petia Toncheva will step into the role of senior licensing manager for Russia and CIS and will manage and develop licensing programs across the Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV portfolios for those regions.

Toncheva will work directly with retailers and licensees and with VIMN’s Russian licensing agent, Riki Group. She will be charged with ramping up the consumer products licensing business for stand-out new properties such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Bubble Guppies as well as evergreens Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Toncheva joins NVCP from cosmetic brands and licensing company Clever Company in Moscow, where she headed up the licensing direction of the business as marketing and licensing consultant.