Sanrio appoints COO

Animation & Characters

Sanrio has named Simon Gresswell as COO of Sanrio GmbH, MML and SGA, he will take up the post on the 15th May 2017.

Simon will be responsible for Sanrio’s business in EMEA, Oceania, South Africa and India and Mr Men Little Miss worldwide.

Managing Directors of Sanrio’s EMEA business Mr Jiro Kishimura and Mr Ronald Denecke –  “We are excited to have Simon join our team and build strong relationships with all our licensees and business partners. Simon’s expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to drive growth of our company and for all our properties”

Simon joins Sanrio with a unique perspective on licensing drawn from 25 years working on all sides of the industry in roles as licensee, licensor, agent and consultant. He most recently held a senior role as Vice President, Licensing Europe and International at global sports, media and fashion agency WME | IMG, where key acquisitions and global clients included UEFA Euro2016 and Volkswagen.

“I’m excited and privileged to be joining such a prestigious, global brand owner. Sanrio’s portfolio includes ‘classic brands’ that have long since transcended the world of character licensing. Hello Kitty and Mr Men & Little Miss, have everything that ideal brand propositions should have for creative licensing and extension – instant awareness and consumer affection, established history as well as contemporary currency, retro and cutting edge design possibilities and cross generational mixed with multiple retail tier appeal and value. These simple but powerful characters offer engaging attributes that have already been used to reinforce other brands’ campaigns and messages and these can also be brought to life as experiences.”