The pop culture collectible company Funko has reinforced its sales team in the EMEA region with the appointment of Karen Athill.
Formerly the sales director at MGA Entertainment, Athill will join the Funko team in Europe as the regional sales director, continuing what Funko has described as its “phenomenal European takeover.”
Funko says they are thrilled to have Athill on the team, citing her proven results with companies she’s worked with in the past.
“We are delighted to have been able to secure someone with Karen’s proven experience to help strengthen our retailer relationships throughout the UK, France and Iberia regions,” said Malcolm Ottley, the EMEA vice president of sales at Funko. “Karen will lead our sales teams in those regions, further enhancing our strategic partner relations and continuing to drive our category expansions across our Pop! collectibles, toys, games and softlines through our thriving Loungefly business.”
While working at MGA Entertainment, Athill helped lead the company’s revenue growth in the UK for brands like LOL Surprise, Rainbow High, Little Tikes, Baby Born, and Baby Annabel. Prior to her gig with MGA, Athill led the sales team in the UK for Rubies, the world’s largest producer of licensed costumes and accessories.
Athill says she’s now looking forward to joining Funko, due to its wide range of popular product lines. “Its huge range of license partnerships offer unlimited opportunities and I’m thrilled to be working on such a diverse product range spanning multiple categories,” Athill explained. “Additionally, the ongoing portfolio expansion make this an exciting time to be a part of the business. It’s great to be back in a cross-category environment and I cannot wait to be working with the talented Funko team and look forward to supporting our EMEA retailer partners towards further growth.”