WIT Wonder Women Awards 2020

Last night, Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) pulled back the curtain on the 2020 Wonder Women Award Winners at the sold-out 16th Annual WIT Wonder Women Awards. The vibrant celebration dinner honors the best and brightest women that are making waves across the toys, licensing, and entertainment industries.

“It was an absolutely extraordinary evening, with more than 850 guests joining us to celebrate brilliant women making an impact on our industry,” says Genna Rosenberg from GennComm and Jennifer Caveza, from ViacomCBS, Wonder Women Awards co-chairs. “The 2020 finalists, winners, and honorees all reflect excellence and we can’t wait to continue to watch them shine.”

Hasbro Chairman and CEO Brian Goldner presented outgoing WIT President Ashley Mady with WIT’s President Award for her more than six years of service. Under Mady’s leadership, WIT has grown to a global organization with an infrastructure, hundreds of events and a growth strategy for the future. WIT also announced yesterday that Janice Ross will lead WIT as its new president beginning in next month.

Mattel President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson presented the Mentor of the Year Award to Pam Lifford, president of Warner Bros. Global Brands and Experiences.

ViacomCBS President Pam Kaufman, who was honored with last year’s Mentorship Award, presented WWE Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie McMahon with WIT’s Changemaker Award.

2020 Wonder Women Award Winners

CREATOR / DESIGNER / INVENTOR

  • Angie Cella – GemC2, Creator of Blinger

LICENSOR / ENTERTAINMENT

  • Glenda Beltran – ViacomCBS

LICENSEE / MANUFACTURER

  • Anna Mowbray – ZURU, Inc.

MARKETING / PR

  • Krista Berger – Mattel

RISING STAR CORPORATE

RISING STAR INDEPENDENT

  • Jill Walters – Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld
  • Madison Robinson – FishFlops

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

  • Nancy Molenda – Mattel

WIT also presented $2,500 scholarships to 11 deserving students who’ve demonstrated academic excellence and leadership in business, design, engineering and entrepreneurial studies, and with the support of WIT’s generous sponsors. Many of the recipients were in attendance thanks to the generosity of the Bandai Foundation, which underwrote a special Excursionista travel stipend.

WIT thanks its generous 2020 sponsors and in-kind donors, including Hasbro, Mattel, ViacomCBS, Disney, The Bandai Foundation, Jazwares, Amazon, LEGO, PlayMonster, Spin Master, VTech, and the many sponsors who support the organization year-round and help contribute to the success of the Wonder Women Awards. Proceeds from this event are used to fund scholarships, develop and maintain a full calendar of programs and networking events, and support initiatives for WIT’s members and its community.

The Toy Book is a supporting sponsor of WIT.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

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