JAKKS Pacific announced the appointment of John Kimble as executive vice president and chief financial officer.
He will be responsible for overseeing all financial aspects of the company, including financial planning and analysis, accounting and financial reporting, as well as managing the tax, internal audit, treasury, and investor relations functions. Kimble brings to JAKKS more than 20 years of experience in finance, strategy and corporate development, with expertise in operations, financial planning and strategy, cross-border international business activities, licensing and mergers and acquisitions, in addition to financial reporting and accounting.
“I look forward to joining JAKKS and working with Stephen Berman and the management team. I see this as a natural evolution of my professional career as I can bring my experiences at Disney and Mattel to this position,” says Kimble. “With JAKKS’s recent recapitalization in the rear window, I believe that my skill sets, which include experience in finance, licensing, gaming, and international sales, will allow me to assist JAKKS in the development and implementation of its business strategies aimed at increasing shareholder value.”
Kimble worked for over 12 years in various vice president and leadership positions at The Walt Disney Company covering finance, strategy, operations, and business development. More recently, Kimble spent six years at Mattel where he held several positions, including vice president & head of corporate development, licensing acquisitions, M&A. In between his service at Disney and Mattel, John spent a couple of years as an entrepreneur at a start-up gaming company. He began his career as a consultant for Mars & Co., a global strategy consulting firm. Kimble received his bachelor’s degree in Management Science, Concentration in Finance, Minor in Economics from the Sloan School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“We are very excited to welcome John to the team and add his broad experience in finance and licensing to our management team. We believe his financial management skills coupled with his entrepreneurial experience will serve us well as we continue to implement our strategy of growth both domestically and internationally,” reports Stephen Berman, chairman and chief executive officer, JAKKS Pacific. “Moreover, John’s decades of experience working within the toy industry, together with his extensive background with licensing, is a perfect fit as we look to increase our IP portfolio with new and exciting products.”
