by GENNA ROSENBERG, Founder, GennComm, GennComm ImaGENNation, Play with Purpose
The greatest gifts in our industry are not found on a store shelf, tucked into a licensing agreement, or reflected on a balance sheet. They’re the result of shared wisdom.
I can trace much of my career back to conversations with people willing to share what they had learned the hard way. Some taught me the mechanics of retail, sourcing, and strategy. Others helped me work through a decision, recover from a mistake, or recognize an opportunity I might have missed.
Leaders you may know — Neil Friedman, Anne Marie Kehoe, Nancy Zwiers, Naz Amarchi-Cuevas, Jay Foreman, and many others — helped shape my journey through their generosity.
Over time, I’ve realized that mentorship is about more than advice. It is about creating opportunities for others and building bridges between generations of leaders.
Recently, I had the privilege of bringing three generations of leadership together at one table. Joining me were two women I mentor through Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment: Katie Gwinn of Barbie and Bailey Curtis of Disney Princess, who also serves as President of Women of Mattel. Across from us sat one of my own mentors, Jill Barad, Mattel’s trailblazing former CEO.
Watching that conversation unfold was something special.
Jill talked about trusting her instincts, speaking up, and having the courage to lead. She reflected on shaping Mattel, including advocating for the theatrical release of Toy Story to Steve Jobs and John Lasseter more than 30 years ago. With Toy Story 5 now a cross-generational hit, those decisions still ripple through entertainment and play.
She also shared stories about helping grow Disney Princess, taking American Girl beyond its successful catalog model, and changing how moms viewed Barbie. The “We Girls Can Do Anything” campaign expanded Barbie’s representation and encouraged generations of girls to imagine more for themselves.
Hearing how those ideas became reality was enough to give you chills. Creativity, confidence, and tenacity mattered. None of it happened by accident.
What made the conversation even more meaningful was that Jill was not simply talking about her legacy. She was sitting across from part of it.
As Katie and Bailey discussed the brands and initiatives they help lead today, the connections were hard to miss. Much of that work stands on foundations Jill helped build decades earlier.
There was laughter, storytelling, mutual admiration, and genuine curiosity. Four women at different points in their careers were sharing lessons, celebrating progress, and learning from one another.
That is what mentorship can look like. It is more than transferring knowledge. It is expanding what might be possible for the next person.
Sitting there, I was reminded that leadership is a long game. What we accomplish during our own careers is only part of the story. Legacy lives in the decisions we make and in the people we encourage, develop, challenge, and empower, sometimes long after our own work is finished.
Every conversation, introduction, and opportunity to connect people can create a ripple we may never fully see.
Someone shared their wisdom with us. Someone opened a door. Someone handed us a playbook we did not have before.
Passing those lessons forward gives someone else a chance to build on what came before and, perhaps, change the world in ways none of us could have predicted.
Leadership extends beyond what we become. It’s about what we pass along, and what the people coming behind us are able to do with it.
Who helped shape your career, and who are you helping today?
Stay on the Pulse of Play!
A version of this feature appears in The Toy Book‘s 2026 Fall Toy & Licensing Preview Issue. Read the full issue here!
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