LeapFrog Announces Management Changes
CEO William Chiasson Appointed Chairman of the Board; John Barbour Named CEO
Kids Today Staff -- Kids Today, 3/7/2011 8:48:27 PM
EMERYVILLE, Calif., -- LeapFrog Enterprises has announced the appointment of current CEO William Chiasson to Chairman of the Board and named industry veteran John Barbour as the company's new CEO and as a member of the Board of Directors.
"We are very excited that John is joining LeapFrog as CEO," said Chiasson. "John has a 25-year track record of building global consumer and internet businesses in both traditional retail and direct-to-consumer environments. He previously led the successful turnaround of the Toys "R" Us U.S. and International divisions, and built its online business, toysrus.com, into the number one global online retailer of toys and games. John also served as President of the GameHouse Division of RealNetworks, a leading, vertically integrated and global casual video games business."
"Over the last several years, LeapFrog has created a robust portfolio of innovative products, a leading brand that stands for learning and fun, and a unique and strategic online platform that allows us to engage directly with consumers. As we've built these capabilities, we have also dramatically reduced our cost structure and returned the Company to profitability for the first time in five years.
"As we look to build upon this platform and generate sustained profitable growth in the future, LeapFrog must respond even more rapidly to evolving consumer product demands and fast changing technology preferences. John's experience with leading consumer product, content, and online companies will be critical to helping us do this. His experience will also help us strengthen and grow our global retail presence," continued Chiasson.
"I am excited about my new role as CEO of LeapFrog," said Barbour. "The Company has an outstanding brand, a strong product portfolio, and a bright future. I look forward to working with Bill Chiasson, the rest of the Board, and the entire LeapFrog team to build upon the many pioneering successes of the past several years."
"I am honored to have been named Chairman of the Board," said Bill Chiasson. "I joined LeapFrog over six years ago and I look forward to providing continued leadership and strategic advice to John, our Board, and my colleagues who have helped me strengthen and grow our business and brand."
John Barbour served as President of the GameHouse Division of RealNetworks, Inc. from October 2008 to August 2010, where he led the business to profitability. From October 2006 to October 2008, Mr. Barbour served as the Managing Partner of Volta Capital, LLC, a strategy and investment consulting firm where he assisted clients with a wide variety of investment and strategic development engagements. From 1999 to June 2006, Mr. Barbour was employed by Toys "R" Us, Inc., a leading retailer of children's toys and products. He served as President, Toys "R" Us U.S. from August 2004 to June 2006, where he was responsible for $5.5 billion of retail sales through approximately 600 stores across the U.S. and built the private brands business to over $1 billion of annual sales. Prior to that, he served as President, Toys "R" Us International and Chairman, Toys "R" Us Japan from February 2002 to August 2004, achieving three years of record sales and earnings growth. From 1999 to 2002, Mr. Barbour served as President and Chief Executive Officer of toysrus.com, a subsidiary of Toys "R" Us, Inc., where he grew sales from $2 million in 1998 to $336 million in 2002. Mr. Barbour has also held senior level positions with Hasbro, Inc.,Russ Berrie, Inc., and Universal Matchbox Group, Ltd. Mr. Barbour holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry, with Honors, from the University of Glasgow.
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