Mattel, Inc. announced that Diana S. Ferguson, Chief Financial Officer of Cleveland Avenue LLC, has been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors effective July 21, 2020. Ferguson will serve on the Audit Committee of the Board and assume the role of Chair of the Audit Committee on Sept. 1, 2020.
“Diana is a highly experienced executive who brings a proven track record of corporate financial management and strategic planning to our Board,” said Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel. “We look forward to benefiting from her insights and perspectives as we continue to execute our strategy to transform Mattel into an IP-driven, high-performing toy company to drive growth and value for our shareholders.”
“Mattel is a company with deep societal impact that plays an important role in the lives of children and families around the world. I look forward to working with Ynon and the rest of the Board on the transformation journey that is well under way,” said Ferguson.
Ferguson currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Cleveland Avenue LLC, a privately held venture capital and consulting firm. She has also served as a principal of Scarlett Investments LLC, a firm that invests in and advises middle-market consumer products companies, which she founded in 2013. Previously, Ferguson was Chief Financial Officer of the Chicago Board of Education, leading a staff of more than 200 professionals and managing all aspects of the organization’s more than $6 billion financial operations.
Prior to joining the Chicago Board of Education, Ferguson was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Folgers Coffee Company, a division of Procter and Gamble, and was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Merisant Worldwide. Earlier in her career, she held the roles of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sara Lee Foodservice and Senior Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development of Sara Lee Corporation, where she played a leadership role in the Company’s portfolio transformation, including the successful spin-off of Hanesbrands Inc., as well as several business divestitures and acquisitions.
Ferguson is a member of the Board of Directors of Frontier Communications, where she serves on the Nominating and Governance Committee and chairs the Compensation Committee. She is also a member of the Boards of Directors of Invacare Corporation, where she serves on the Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees, and Sally Beauty Holdings, where she serves on the Audit Committee and is Vice Chair of the Compensation Committee. From 2008-2016, Ferguson was a member of the Board of Directors of TreeHouse Foods, where she chaired the Audit Committee for three years and served on the Compensation Committee.
Mattel’s current Board members are: Ynon Kreiz; R. Todd Bradley, prior CEO of Mozido, LLC; Adriana Cisneros, CEO of Cisneros Group of Companies; Michael Dolan, prior Chief Executive Officer of Bacardi Limited; Diana Ferguson, Chief Financial Officer of Cleveland Avenue LLC; Soren Laursen, prior CEO of TOP-TOY; Ann Lewnes, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Adobe Systems Incorporated; Roger Lynch, CEO of Condé Nast; Dominic Ng, Chairman and CEO of East West Bancorp, Inc. and East West Bank; and Dr. Judy Olian, President of Quinnipiac University.
