Women in Toys to Honor Pam Kaufman, Gaye Dean at 15th Annual Wonder Women Awards

Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products’ President, Pam Kaufman, and Target Corporation’s Marketing Director for Licensing, Gaye Dean will be honored by Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) at the 15th Annual Wonder Women Awards held during the New York International Toy Fair next month.

Kaufman, who leads the multi-billion-dollar global consumer products business across Viacom Media Networks and Paramount Pictures, will be honored with the 2019 Mentorship Award. She has launched and maintained many iconic franchise properties from across the Viacom portfolio of brands, including Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, and JoJo Siwa; MTV’s Jersey Shore: Family Vacation; Comedy Central’s South Park; and Paramount Pictures’ Top Gun, Mission Impossible, The Godfather, and Grease, among others.

Pam Kaufman, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products

“When Pam decided to lean-in to WIT, the effect was immediate. She lent her personal support along with funding and resources from Viacom to help drive WIT’s global programming,” says Genna Rosenberg, CEO of GennComm and Wonder Women Awards Co-Chair. “It’s been thrilling to see her impact and passion for advocacy work first-hand, as she makes a difference for both women working within our industry and future leaders through countless programs like #SeeHer and more.”

Gaye Dean, Target Corporation

Dean, a 30-year Target vet who leads the retailer’s marketing strategy development and execution of key license merchandise programs across all key categories, will be honored with the 2019 Wonder Woman in Retailing Award. She is the key liaison for a large segment of the entertainment, brand and license industries, and has held a variety of positions across the company. In these roles, she has worked on multiple areas of Target’s business including apparel, branding and seasonal campaigns.

The 15th Annual Wonder Women Awards honors top female executives, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and other changemakers for their extraordinary accomplishments and impact within the toy, licensing, and the entertainment industries.

Award winners will be announced and celebrated at WIT’s annual Wonder Women Awards on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York, coinciding with the 116th New York International Toy Fair.

Tickets to the 2019 Wonder Women Awards are now available for purchase here.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book and Co-President of The International Toy Magazines Association (ITMA). He is also 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), New York Comic Con, 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.