Netflix Hires Mattel Veteran Roberto Stanichi to Run Consumer Products
Netflix has hired Roberto Stanichi, a nearly 20-year veteran of the toy maker Mattel, as its vice president of consumer products and experiences. Deadline reported the move on Thursday, 5 November.
In the new role, Stanichi will oversee global consumer products licensing and retail. Licensing is the business of letting other companies make toys, clothing and games featuring a studio's characters, usually in return for a fee or a share of sales. He will also run global experiences, including Netflix House. He will report to Netflix's chief marketing officer, Marian Lee.
Mattel announced his departure on the same day, as part of its third-quarter earnings report. Stanichi joined Mattel in 2004. He was promoted to president, chief marketing and brand officer on 31 July 2026, overseeing brands including Hot Wheels, Barbie, Fisher-Price and UNO.
Mattel also named Steve Totzke as its president and chief operating officer. The appointment takes effect on 11 November 2026. Totzke will oversee the company's global brand portfolio, its sales and commercial operations, and consumer products.
The changes follow a wider leadership shift at Mattel. Former chief executive Ynon Kreiz has left to become co-chief executive of Skydance, and Roger Lynch has been elevated to chief executive of Mattel.
Stanichi's new job also connects to one of Netflix's biggest toy deals. In October 2025, Netflix announced a master toy partnership with Mattel and Hasbro for the animated film KPop Demon Hunters. A master toy licence makes a company the main global maker of a property's toys. At the time, Netflix identified Stanichi as Mattel's chief global brand officer, and Deadline reported that he played a key role in the deal.
For Netflix, the hire brings an executive who has spent most of his career inside a major toy company into its own merchandise and experiences team. For Mattel, the next few weeks bring a new chief operating officer and a new chief executive, while the company works out who will fill the marketing and brand role Stanichi leaves behind.
