WORLD NEWS

15th annual WIT award winners announced

Published on: 18th February 2019

Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment presented 14 awards to women making an impact in toys, licensing and entertainment.

In a ceremony that coincided with the New York International Toy Fair,Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) announced its 2019 Wonder Women winners at the 15th Annual Wonder Women Awards.

WIT presented 14 awards to women making an impact in toys, licensing and entertainment, including honourees Pam Kaufman, president of Viacom Nickelodeon Global Consumer Products, and Gaye Dean from Target. WIT also presented four year old Youtube influencers Mila and Emma with the 2019 Wonder Girls Award, and presented scholarships to nine students from universities around the country in front of an audience of over 800 attendees.

The 2019 Wonder Women honourees and winners are as follows:
• Mentor of the Year – Pam Kaufman – Viacom Nickelodeon
• Retailer of the Year – Gaye Dean, Target
• Wonder Girls – Mila and Emma
• Creator / Inventor – Amy Pruzansky – Spin Master
• Licensing – Gabriela Arenas – Sesame Workshop
• Manufacturing – Nancy Sanchez – Lego Systems
• Marketing – Juli Lennett – NPD
• Rising Star / Corporate – Chrissy Helmich – Wicked Cool Toys; Kate Nichols – Spin Master
• Rising Star / Independent – Marissa Louie – Animoodles; Natalie Rebot – Moonlite World
• Sales – Marian Bossard – The Toy Association
• Social Responsibility – Amy Knight – Hasbro

“We kicked off an incredible Wonder Women Weekend and Toy Fair by being invited to ring the opening bell at NASDAQ on Friday morning, followed by an incredible evening celebrating these amazing powerhouse women who are making their mark,” said Genna Rosenberg CEO of GennComm and longtime Gala co-chair.

“This years’ Award Winners are some of the highest achieving and most remarkable women in our industry”, said Jennifer Caveza, senior vice president of Toys and Business Development at Nickelodeon Consumer Products. “It is truly an honour to celebrate their outstanding achievements and to watch them continue to lead our industry, while inspiring greatness”.

WIT would like to thank Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Disney, Spin Master, Mattel, Lego, PlayMonster, Jazwares, The Bandai Foundation, and the many sponsors which support the organisation year-round and help contribute to the success of the Wonder Women Gala.

Proceeds from this event are used to fund scholarships, develop and maintain a full calendar of programmes and networking events, and support initiatives for WIT’s members and its community.

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