Century City, Calif. (January 9, 2013) – Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products took a transformative step in evolving its licensing business across Europe, announcing today that it has appointed Bettina Koeckler Senior Vice President, EMEA Fox Consumer Products. The announcement was made by Fox Consumer Products President Jeffrey Godsick, to whom Koeckler will report.
The addition of an industry luminary like Koeckler represents a critical milestone in Fox’s efforts to further extend its brand in EMEA, building on the strength of recent successes such as the launch of Ice Age Live!, the opening of 4D attractions at three major theme parks in Europe and the growth of brands such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. Koeckler, who is co-chair of LIMA’s global marketing and membership committee, brings more than 18 years of both major multinational and owner-managed environments across B2B and consumer licensing and merchandising, beginning in earnest with her six years as vice president of licensing for Sony Pictures Consumer Products from 1997-2003.
“We’ve brought someone aboard who has impacted not only companies throughout her career but the entire EMEA region,” said Godsick. “Bettina’s record of creativity combined with an unmatched stable of relationships and retail experience has resulted in success and accolades throughout her career that I know will enhance our efforts in the region.”
Koeckler will lead Fox’s European operations after serving as senior vice president and general manager for global consumer products at Rainbow, the leading European producer of 2D, CGI and 3D animation across all media platforms. There she oversaw properties such as Winx Club, PopPixie, Mia and Me and Gladiators of Rome and expanded the business exponentially on a global scale.
Prior to Rainbow, Koeckler spent three years at Chorion, one of the world’s leading intellectual property owners and television production companies. As SVP for EMEA licensing, Koeckler cemented her reputation for progressive, award-winning partnerships and programs. Her successes included deals with both Hermes and H&M for Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit Fairytale. She also spearheaded the wildly popular “Should have gone to Specsavers” promotion with the Mr. Men & Little Miss brand, winning the UK Licensing Excellence award in 2011. These accolades built on her earlier successes at Sony, where she oversaw a pan-regional licensing network and blockbuster intellectual properties such as Spider-Man, Men in Black and Charlie’s Angels, helping turn over worldwide revenues by 25 percent.
“This is the perfect opportunity and the most exciting challenge of my career,” Koeckler said. “Fox’s properties are known throughout the world and I think the potential to deepen that connection in the EMEA region, where so much innovation in categories such as apparel has already occurred, is limitless.”
About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products:
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
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CONTACTS:
Cynthia Pascoe
Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
310-369-2492
Jerry Griffin/ Daniella Apfel
Bender/Helper Impact
212-689-6360