C-Suite Conversation feat. Lisa McKnight

Lisa McKnight is Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of Mattel. She joined Mattel in 1998. In her current role, Ms. McKnight oversees all of Mattel’s toy categories and global brands, as well as design and development.

Ms. McKnight has held several senior leadership positions at Mattel for nearly 25 years, including the global head of Barbie since 2016 and Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls since 2019 where she oversaw the entire Dolls portfolio for Mattel, and led a global team in brand strategy, product development, and marketing execution. Prior to leading Barbie in 2016, Ms. McKnight was the SVP of Marketing for North America working across the Mattel portfolio.

Credited with leading the transformation of Barbie, under Ms. McKnight’s leadership, Barbie was the #1 Global Toy Property for 2020 and 2021 and the #1 Global Doll Property for 2020 through 2022. She has also driven the significant expansion of Mattel’s portfolio, including winning back the licensing rights to the Disney Princess and Disney Frozen franchise and the successful relaunch of Monster High. Forbes recognized Ms. McKnight as one of the top brand marketers in the world for 2023.

Ms. McKnight has led the charge in defining Barbie’s global social mission with the launch of the Barbie Dream Gap Project in 2018, a multi-year initiative dedicated to leveling the playing field for every girl. Since launch, the program has positively impacted over 25 million girls.

Prior to Mattel, Ms. McKnight held agency advertising roles supporting clients like Taco Bell and Fairmont Hotels before transitioning to a marketing role at Gap, Inc.

Ms. McKnight has served on the boards of MAKERS Women and the Toy Industry Foundation, with a focus on the DE&I committee and was previously the executive sponsor of Women of Mattel employee resource group. Ms. McKnight is a member of Women in Toys, through which she serves as a mentor to women in the toy, licensing, and entertainment industries.

Ms. McKnight received a Bachelor of Arts from Denison University.