Mattel has announced a leadership change at the top of the toy and entertainment group, naming Roger Lynch as its next chairman and chief executive officer. According to the company’s announcement, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on 30 September 2026, Lynch will become chairman on 2 October and take over as chief executive on or before 2 November.
A Board Insider Takes the Helm
Lynch has served on Mattel’s board since 2018 and is currently its independent lead director. He has also been chief executive of the media company Condé Nast since 2019, the announcement said. His earlier career includes founding and leading the streaming television service Sling TV, serving as chief executive of the music streaming company Pandora, and running the UK-based Video Networks International and the European broadband provider Chello Broadband.
Ynon Kreiz, who has led Mattel for eight years, will step down as chairman and chief executive on 2 October to take what the company described as a senior leadership position at another public company. Mattel did not name that company in its statement. Diana Ferguson, a director since 2020 who chairs the audit committee, will become the new independent lead director.
In the announcement, Lynch said he was honoured by the board’s confidence and excited to lead the Mattel team. Judy Olian, the director overseeing succession, described him as a visionary leader with a track record of growing global companies at the forefront of changing industry and consumer trends.
The Company He Inherits
Mattel credited Kreiz with transforming the business from a traditional toy manufacturer into an intellectual-property-driven entertainment company. The announcement pointed to the Barbie film, which it described as the top global box office hit of 2023, a Hot Wheels franchise on track for a ninth consecutive year of growth, expansion into television, digital games and live events, and the achievement of an investment-grade credit rating. Kreiz said it had been a privilege to lead the company and that he was proud of what the team had achieved together.
Why It Matters
Chief executive successions at consumer companies are often judged by whether they preserve momentum while opening room for fresh strategy. Mattel’s choice of a sitting director who already knows the business, paired with a leader whose background spans media, streaming and technology, suggests the board sees its future as lying as much in franchises and content as in physical toys. The staggered handover, with Lynch taking the chair first and the chief executive role within weeks, is designed to limit disruption at a company whose brands, from Barbie to Hot Wheels, are increasingly managed as global entertainment properties. How the new chief executive balances toy sales with licensing, film and gaming will shape the group’s direction in the years ahead.
Leave a Reply