HABA USA President Lea Culliton will retire in June after leading the company for two decades. During her time as the company’s president, Culliton led sales, marketing, and operations, and helped introduce, establish, and grow the HABA brand name in North America.
Cynthia Waruszewski joins HABA as head of North American sales and marketing. She joins the company from Mattel, where she most recently served as director of omnichannel marketing for the American Girl brand. Her 15 years of industry experience includes work for brands including Barbie, Fisher-Price, Disney, Carter’s, and Pottery Barn Kids.
“We cannot thank Lea enough for her contributions to the business over the past 20 years. She assembled an amazing team, grew sales through innovation, and developed tremendous relationships,” says Willie Wilkov, managing director of North America, HABA Familygroup. “Looking to the future, we’re very pleased to have Cynthia Waruszewski take HABA USA to the next level as we continue to grow the HABA brand in North America.”
Culliton joined HABA USA in 2002 as national sales and marketing director and was named the company’s president in 2006. In addition to her role at HABA, Culliton has also found success as a director for the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) and as chairperson of the board for the ABC Kids Expo.
“It has been the privilege of my career to be a steward of the HABA brand,” Culliton says. “I knew from the moment I saw the incomparable products that American consumers would respond to their quality and efficacy.
