HABA USA has appointed Willie Wilkov its new CEO and Managing Director for North America, the company announced.  In addition to growing the core toys and games business, Wilkov will be charged with building connections with the company’s other divisions, which include apparel, furniture, and educational products.

Wilkov has an ecomm and marketing background.  He served most recently as VP-Digital Commerce at TOMY International, where he also spent time as Chief Marketing Officer in an earlier stint.  The TOMY periods bracketed nearly three years, with PlayFusion as Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager (see "New TCG ‘Lightseekers’").

The HABA Family of Companies, based in Germany, has a long history in the games business, and won the Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children’s Game of the Year) two years running for Valley of the Vikings in 2019 (see "’Tal Der Wikinger’ Secures Kinderspiel Des Jahres") and for Dragon’s Breath in 2018 (see "’Dragon’s Breath’ Wins 2018 Kinderspiel des Jahres").