Cannes Lions honours Mattel chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz with ‘Entertainment person of the year’ award

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that it will recognise Mattel’s chairman and chief executive officer, Ynon Kreiz, as ‘Entertainment person of the year. Presented in recognition of the vital role that entertainment plays in the marketing and communications landscape, the award celebrates the creativity that inspires others to produce truly compelling, meaningful, and entertaining content.

Simon Cook, CEO of Lions, said, “The strong leadership of Mattel has led to it becoming an innovative global toy and family entertainment company. By unlocking the potential of its core assets and IP, Mattel has strengthened the company’s relevance and appeal of its iconic global portfolio. Through Barbie particularly, Ynon has opened the aperture of the brand, broadening its cultural resonance and commercial success.”

Commenting on the award, Kreiz said, “At its core, Mattel is a creative company fuelled by innovation and guided by our purpose. We are driven by the knowledge that the people who buy our products are more than consumers, they are fans with an emotional connection to our brands. It is an incredible honour to be recognised by the prestigious Cannes Lions, and to share this with the global team at Mattel whose passion fosters our creativity, every day.”

Kreiz has led a multi-year transformation strategy that established Mattel as an IP-driven toy company. Under his leadership, Mattel Films has announced 16 motion pictures in active development with major studio partners. Its first movie, ‘Barbie’, achieved the largest global box-office in 2023 and the industry’s 14^th highest grossing movie of all time and was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. It also received the Oscar for the ‘Best original song’.

Mattel has a growing entertainment offering in television, consumer products, digital games, live events and experiences, publishing, and music. As per market research company Circana, in 2023 the company was the number 1 toy company in the US for the 30th consecutive year, achieving its largest annual share gain in the country on record.

Kreiz will deliver a keynote seminar on 21 June, and collect the award during that evening’s Cannes Lions Awards Show.