EASTON, Pa., Jan. 2, 2020  Rich Wuerthele, an executive with more than 30 years in the consumer goods industry, will join Crayola as the new CEO, effective January 16, 2020. Wuerthele replaces Smith Holland, who was named President of Crayola parent Hallmark Greetings last July and left Crayola in September after serving as CEO for three years.

Wuerthele, an accomplished executive who has successfully led a wide range of fully autonomous companies in a variety of business situations, was selected after following a search that considered a variety of candidates. Wuerthele will be joining Crayola from Newell Brands, where he has been the CEO of their Home Fragrance portfolio, including the notable 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.

“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 & CEO – Hallmark. “He is an insightful and thoughtful leader with a thirst for creativity and innovation.”

“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, Wuerthele was the CEO 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.

“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,” says Perry.

About Crayola
Crayola LLC, based in Easton, Pa. and a business of Hallmark Cards, Inc., is the worldwide leader in children’s creative expression products. Known for the iconic Crayola Crayon first introduced in 1903, the Crayola brand has grown into a portfolio of art tools, crafting activities and creativity toys that offer children innovative ways to use color to create everything imaginable. Consumers can find the wide array of Crayola products in the “Crayola Aisle” at all major retailers. For more information, visit www.crayola.com.

Contact:

Karen Kelly / Crayola
(610) 253-6272, ext. 4344
484-695-1993

kkelly2@crayola.com