- Chris Cocks will be the new CEO of Hasbro starting Feb. 25.
- He currently serves as president and chief operating officer of the company’s Wizards of the Coast and digital gaming division.
- He will take over for interim CEO Rich Stoddart, who held the position after the passing of Brian Goldner in October 2021.
Three months after the sudden passing of long-time CEO Brian Goldner, Hasbro has named its new chief executive.
Chris Cocks, who served as president and chief operating officer of the company’s Wizards of the Coast and digital gaming division, has been promoted to the top leadership position. He will take over the post from interim CEO Rich Stoddart on Feb. 25.
Also at that time, Stoddart, who served as the company’s independent director since 2014, will become chair of the board, and Eric Nyman, who has been with Hasbro for 18 years in various roles, will take over as president and chief operating officer. Nyman will lead the company’s overall consumer licensing strategy and partnerships as well as its global supply chain.
“Having known Chris for years and working more closely with him these last several months, I have no doubt that he will be an extraordinary leader for the next phase of Hasbro’s journey,” Stoddart said in a statement Wednesday. “A storyteller and gamer at heart, Chris innately understands how to create and nurture brands to drive fan and consumer connection across channels. He is a highly strategic leader, with the vision, skills and experience to unlock our Brand Blueprint for supercharged growth.”
Cocks has been part of the Hasbro team since 2016, working primarily with the company’s Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and Duel Masters franchises. Under his leadership, Wizards of the Coast has become one of Hasbro’s top revenue drivers. It has more than doubled since Cocks took the helm and generated $1 billion in revenue in 2021.
Prior to his tenure at Hasbro, Cocks worked at Microsoft leading teams that focused on MSN and Xbox Games with franchises like Halo and Fable.
“Hasbro has amazing brands, gifted storytellers and unique entertainment assets, and I am humbled to step into the position of CEO at this important time and to build on the strong foundation Brian created,” Cocks said in a statement.
Cocks takes over for the late Goldner, a beloved leader who successfully grew Hasbro’s business beyond toys and games and into television, movies and digital gaming. Goldner’s tenure was marked by a focus on leveraging the company’s brands across all areas of the entertainment industry as well as the continuation of strong licensing relationships with major franchises like Disney-owned Star Wars and Marvel.
Source: Business - cnbc.com
