Hasbro chief nets Hollywood role

Toy giant Hasbro has lost its senior European vice-president of strategic marketing, Simon Spalding, to the new Hollywood studio DreamWorks.

He will become head of the film company’s European Consumer Products group. Sources inside the toy giant describe the spilt as “amicable”, and point out that for the moment Spalding is still based in Hasbro’s UK headquarters in Uxbridge, Middlesex.

Last August, Hasbro signed a deal to distribute toys for DreamWorks films, once it starts production.

It is understood Spalding’s role will be to handle the European side of this operation.

Spalding joined Hasbro six years ago and during that time he worked on the Jurassic Park products, as well as recently relaunching the Action Man range of toys.

There is no natural successor to Spalding and company sources say that it will take ” some months” to fill his position.