An industry vet who’s worked with the Power Rangers, Hello Kitty, and Barbie is stepping into a new role.
Janet Hsu has been appointed CEO of Horizon Group USA, a privately-held leader in the creative craft toy DIY space. The New Jersey-based company designs, manufactures, and distributes a wide variety of kits across several categories, including DIY, STEM/STEAM, outdoors, and tween.
“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Janet both professionally and personally for the last 10 years,” says Roshan Wijerama, owner and chairman of Horizon Group USA. “Her reputation, integrity, and experience in the industry are second to none. Janet is a seasoned chief executive whose vision for Horizon’s future aligns with ours and puts us in the best position to build upon our last 15 years of rapid and organic growth. Horizon’s forward mission is bringing people together through creativity, and we are beyond excited that Janet will be spearheading this effort to ensure that our mission becomes a reality.”
Most recently, Hsu served as chief franchise management officer at Mattel, overseeing studio and strategic partnerships for properties such as this year’s Top Gun: Maverick, and the forthcoming line of products inspired by the Tokyo Olympics, along with global consumer products, franchise management, location-based entertainment, digital gaming, content distribution, and business development.
She previously served as the first CEO at Saban Brands, where she led the company during its divestiture of the Power Rangers franchise to Hasbro. Prior to that, she served as president and COO at Sanrio Inc., home of the famed Hello Kitty Brand.
“I am excited to join the incredible team at Horizon Group USA. Their leadership position in DIY and STEM, and over 100 years of legacy, creates a strong foundation to expand into today’s new world,” says Hsu. “As we embark on this journey together, our mission is not only to continue to introduce relevant products, but also help children develop and nurture creativity through imagination and play. Our industry has a role and obligation in providing life-long learning skills that will help our children transform the future. At Horizon Group USA we are committed to their journey to create a better tomorrow.”
Ahead of Toy Fair New York this year, Horizon Group USA inked a new, $25 million credit facility to assist in future growth. Hsu’s experience in global strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, commerce expansion, licensing, and digital integration is expected to fuel expansion.
Horizon Group USA products are carried by major retailers, including Walmart, Target, Amazon, Michaels, and Costco.
