Said Ms. Georgiadis, “We have made strong progress in addressing the critical structural challenges facing Mattel, and I know Ynon is committed to building on that progress alongside our talented leadership team. It has been a privilege to lead such an iconic company at an important time of change, and I want to thank the amazing people at Mattel for their tireless commitment to inspiring wonder in kids across the world. I am proud of what we accomplished together and confident in Mattel’s path forward.”
Ynon Kreiz
Mr. Kreiz is the former Chairman and CEO of Maker Studios, Inc., a global digital media and content network company, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2014. He previously served as Chairman and CEO of Endemol Group, one of the world’s largest independent television production companies, with local operations in more than 30 countries. Prior to that, Mr. Kreiz was a General Partner at venture capital firm Balderton Capital (formerly Benchmark Capital Europe), one of the leading early stage investors in Europe.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Kreizco-founded and served as Chairman and CEO of Fox Kids Europe N.V. (FKE), a leading children’s entertainment company withpay-TV channels in over 50 countries across Europe and the Middle East. FKE was listed on the Euronext Stock Exchange in Amsterdam in 1999 and the majority shareholding was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2002. Mr. Kreiz serves on the Board of Directors of Warner Music Group Corp. and is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from Tel Aviv University, and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Q1 Financial Results
As previously announced, the company plans to release its first quarter 2018 financial results on April 26, 2018 at approximately 4:05 p.m. Eastern time. Following this, Mattel executives, including Ms. Georgiadis, Mr. Kreiz, CFO Joe Euteneuer and President and COO Richard Dickson, will host a conference call and webcast at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains a number of forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The use of words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “confident that” and “believes,” among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available operating, financial, economic and other information, and are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, could cause actual future results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Specific factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: (i) the risks inherent in any CEO succession, including the time required to fully integrate Mr. Kreiz into the Company’s operations and (ii) other risks and uncertainties as may be described in Mattel’s periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” section of Mattel’s Annual Report on Form10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. Mattel does not update forward-looking statements and expressly disclaims any obligation to do so.
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