By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Casey Collins resigned suddenly as the head of Hasbro’s sprawling global licensing division, according to a report from Kidscreen.
Hasbro has not issued a statement on the sudden departure of its top licensing exec, but has confirmed that Tim Kilpin, the president of toys, licensing and entertainment, will step in to manage Collins’ division on an interim basis.
The move was both sudden and unexpected. Collins was named as the new President of Global Licensed Consumer Products and Partnership/Alliances in May this year, just three months ago, as part of a major restructuring at the company.
Hasbro said at the time that in this new position Collins would be focused on managing Hasbro’s key high-level strategic partnerships, such as with Frito-Lay, LEGO, McDonald’s, Mattel, MINISO, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Nestlé, Paramount Global, Reebok, The Walt Disney Company and WarnerMedia, while continuing to oversee the company’s global LCP business.
As well, Hasbro says it is putting a special focus on being the partner of choice for the top licensors and retailers around the world. The idea is to help drive the company’s mutual businesses across key categories and to ultimately deliver brand-new and innovative products and experiences for fans and families everywhere to enjoy.
“Through Collins’ expanded leadership role, Hasbro can successfully drive that vision forward for its vast portfolio of 1900+ iconic brands through strategic licensing and partnership opportunities,” the company said.
Collins has been a linchpin in Hasbro’s licensing business since joining the company in 2018, having negotiated and managed hundreds of the company’s 1900-plus partnerships.
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