Rich Wuerthele, an executive with more than 30 years in the consumer goods industry, will join Crayola as the new chief executive officer.
Rich will be joining Crayola from Newell Brands, where he has been the chief executive officer of their Home Fragrance portfolio, including the Yankee Candle brand. Home Fragrance is a global consumer products business with end-to-end operating capabilities, as well as 450 company-owned retail stores.
"I am honored to join a company with such a rich history and look forward to advancing Crayola's mission to bring color and creativity to children around the world," says Wuerthele.
Prior to Home Fragrance, Rich was the chief executive officer of Newell's Outdoor and Recreation business which includes the Coleman brand. Rich has led a variety of other brands and divisions throughout the company leveraging a unique blend of experience in marketing, manufacturing, consumer and commercial products across multiple product categories and formats.
"Throughout his career, Rich has been a strong builder of teams that develop high performance cultures. His experiences in product innovation, commercializing a wide range of products, and building brands runs deep," says Mike Perry, president and chief executive officer, Hallmark. "He is an insightful and thoughtful leader with a thirst for creativity and innovation. I look forward to working closely with Rich and I am confident that his commitment to nurturing a vibrant culture, commercializing new products and building the Crayola brand will be obvious to all of us."