BBC Studios - Americas has announced the promotion of Suzy Raia to senior vice president, consumer products and business development. 

Based in New York, Raia will continue to oversee and provide strategic licensing planning for the "Bluey" franchise in the Americas, as well as other BBC brands including "Doctor Who," "Top Gear," "His Dark Materials" and Natural History Unit programming.

"' Bluey' has quickly grown to become a favorite brand among preschool-aged children and their families due in large part to Suzy's fastidious devotion to the brand, as well as her keen insight into smart consumer product strategy," says Tara Maitra, chief commercial officer, BBC Studios – Americas. "This well-deserved promotion acknowledges Suzy's leadership in developing the 'Bluey' franchise so successfully in such a short time, as well as for the positioning of the brand for continued, record-breaking growth in the future."  

Since joining BBC Studios in 2018, Raia has been responsible for driving the licensing and consumer products strategies across BBC Studios' portfolio of properties for the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Overseeing a variety of intellectual properties, Raia's purview includes product licensing across multiple genres, including factual and natural history content, drama series, science-fiction and children's animation. 

Before BBC Studios, Raia built her career over 19 years at Nickelodeon, where she most recently served as the vice president, partnerships and collaborations within the Consumer Products division. In that role, Raia executed deals including Moschino x "SpongeBob Squarepants," Jeremy Scott x "Ren & Stimpy," Story x Nick '90s, "TMNT" x Melo (Carmelo Anthony), and "SpongeBob" (RED). 

Raia also served as vice president, apparel and accessories for more than ten years, tripling the business during her tenure. Earlier in her career, she worked across a variety of categories, which included activity, toy, back-to-school, stationery and seasonal, with an expanded oversight across Viacom properties, including Nickelodeon's children's portfolio, Comedy Central's "South Park" and Paramount's "The Godfather," Audrey Hepburn and more.   

"I am living and breathing 'Bluey' every day and could not ask for a better brand in which to be fully immersed," says Raia. "We have launched a robust licensing program in the U.S., with extensions in Canada and Latin America alongside our master toy licensee Moose as well as many other best-in-class licensees. All I can say is, the best is yet to come!"