Stephane Madi (left) and Filip Francke (right) | Source: Ravensburger/The Toy Book

Ravensburger AG is strengthening its executive ranks with a repositioning to grow the business globally.

Stephane Madi, formerly Head of Ravensburger Canada, steps into the role of CEO at Ravensburger North America to oversee the business in the U.S. and Canada. Concurrently, Filip Francke takes the lead as Global Head of Games with plans to grow the company’s business around the world as it prepares to enter the trading card game (TCG) market with Disney Lorcana this fall.

“Filip has overseen two important areas of our company during periods of rapid growth with passion and great dedication. As we enter the TCG market, we will rely heavily on his leadership and ingenuity to successfully guide this venture,” says Ravensburger AG CEO Clemens Maier. “At the same time, Stephane will bring his commercial expertise and vast industry knowledge to his new role and continue to build Ravensburger’s brands into household names throughout the U.S. and Canada.”

Related: Stay on the Pulse of Play with ‘The BIG Toy Book’ in 2023

Madi previously worked with MEGA Brands and joined Ravensburger in 2014. He was promoted to Head of Ravensburger Canada in 2020 and has led growth for the past three years. In his new role, he will oversee the company’s full portfolio of brands, including Ravensburger, BRIO, ThinkFun, and Wonder Forge in the U.S. and Canada.

Francke previously served as CEO of Ravensburger North America and has led growth across a number of categories, including puzzles, games, and toys. In addition to working with the company on its acquisition of ThinkFun and investment in the crowdfunding platform Gamefound, Francke led the launch and growth of Villanous, a board game franchise that includes Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel titles. Since its launch in 2018, Villanous has sold more than 3.5 million units.

Stay on the #pulseofplay and learn more about Ravensburger’s 2023 product range in next month’s issue of The Toy Book — The BIG Toy Book. Don’t miss an issue, subscribe today!

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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