Tru Kids Brands™ Expands Global Leadership Team

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Nov. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tru Kids Brands™ ("Tru Kids"), the proud parent of the Toys"R"Us^® brand announced today the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Anand Shah as General Counsel and Brian Maeda as Chief Business Development Officer.

Anand Shah returns bringing a wealth of experience in the retail and consumer products industries, as well as a deep understanding of the Toys"R"Us brand and its global footprint.  As Corporate Counsel at Toys"R"Us from 2012 to 2017, Anand was responsible for global corporate governance, negotiating and implementing strategic partnerships, and supporting financing activities and licensing transactions. Most recently, he served as Assistant General Counsel-North America for Ferrero, where he counseled and advised the business on all aspects of its North American operations, including acquisitions, e-commerce, retail operations, manufacturing, supply chain, financings and litigation. From 2007 to 2012, Anand was a corporate attorney with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP focusing on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions.

Brian Maeda joins Tru Kids with a 25+ year proven track record of successfully developing and growing global brands. During his career, he has worked on some of the most influential properties in the entertainment and consumer goods spaces, including Star Wars, Power Rangers, WWE, and Xbox.  Most recently, Brian held the position of Vice President, International Licensing for WWE, where he led the international toy strategy, product design & development and line architecture for all WWE toy licensees.  Prior to WWE, Brian was Vice President, Business Development & Consumer Products at Saban Brands, where he managed the global toy license for Power Rangers, and further developed global relationships for other key entertainment brands in their portfolio. 

In his role at Tru Kids, Brian will be responsible for expanding and managing the global reach of the Company's brand portfolio, which includes the Toys"R"Us® and Babies"R"Us® brands along with 20+ consumer brands.  Additionally, he will serve as the primary business point of contact for all international license partners.

Richard Barry, CEO of Tru Kids commented, "This is a momentous time for the company as we head into the holiday season with a positive outlook on the toy market backed by an experienced leadership team and best-in-class global partners.  Having worked with both Anand and Brian for many years, I am confident their industry experience and leadership will have a significant impact on our success and the continued growth of our global business."

"I'm thrilled to return to the Toys'R'Us family," said Shah. "I look forward to working with Richard, Brian and the entire Tru Kids team to protect the excellence and integrity of our brands as we position the company for a new chapter of growth."

"Toys'R'Us is an iconic and powerful brand known and beloved around the world," added Maeda. "I look forward to joining the Tru Kids team to help reimagine the toy retail experience together with our international license partners in existing and new emerging markets."

Tru Kids' license partners currently operate over 700 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us branded stores and ecommerce sites in more than 25 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In 2019, the company introduced its new Toys"R"Us retail stores in the United States currently located in Paramus, New Jersey and Houston, Texas.

About Tru Kids Brands™
Tru Kids is the parent of beloved brands, including Toys"R"Us®, Babies"R"Us®, and Geoffrey® the Giraffe. Established in January 2019, Tru Kids is focused on growing its family of brands through innovative partnerships that deliver kid-and-parent-focused experiences that expand beyond traditional retail concepts in the physical and digital spaces. The company delivers a wealth of services to our valued license partners around the world. Celebrating over 70 years of heritage, Tru Kids is a new company with an expert team focused on families, kids, and play. Learn more at www.trukidsbrands.com.

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SOURCE Tru Kids Brands