Dirk Engehausen has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of toy manufacturer the Schleich Group as current CEO Thomas van Kaldenkerken steps down. Van Kaldenkerken, alongside Konrad Nilbers, will now co-chair the company's advisory board.

Engehausen has been a member of the Schleich advisory board since mid-2014, and brings extensive experience from his 20-year career with the LEGO Group. In his new role at Schleich, he plans to further develop the strategic and operative realignment of the company initiated by van Kaldenkerken.

The operations of Schleich USA will continue to be under the leadership and direction of Sören Hjorth. 

“For me personally, Schleich is an outstanding brand with its timeless and realistic figurines and one of the true success stories in the international toy business," says Engehausen. "Based on its fascinating core business of high-quality, hand-painted figurines, the group has significant growth potential to unlock through a fully integrated marketing strategy of real play worlds. I look forward to the exciting task of expanding Schleich into a toy system on the basis of its traditional individual figurines. At the upcoming New York Toy Fair, we will demonstrate once again the innovative potential of the brand.”