Munchkin appoints Tom Emrey and Diana Barnes as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Brand Officer, strengthening their global leadership team.

Van Nuys, CA, Dec. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Munchkin, Inc., the world's largest baby lifestyle brand, announced the recent appointment of two C-Suite positions, the vacant role of Chief Operations Officer and newly created Chief Brand Officer. Current Chief Financial Officer, Tom Emrey, has been given the dual responsibility of his current position and role of COO. Diana Barnes, formerly the Global Vice-President of Brand Design and Creative Director, has been promoted to the role of Chief Brand Officer (CBO) and Creative Director.  

Tom Emrey started with Munchkin in March 2017. Although new to the company, he brings years of experience to the organization. Previously, Mr. Emrey served as the CFO at DineEquity, Inc., and was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Universal Studios Home Entertainment a subsidiary of NBCUniversal. Tom is a CPA and he completed his undergraduate degree at USC and Master's Degree in Business and Management from Pepperdine University.  

"Munchkin has accomplished so much as an organization, but its biggest successes are ahead.", said Tom, adding: "It's a very exciting time to be here, helping to build the processes that will take us forward."  

"Tom quickly assumed a key leadership role serving as Chief Financial Officer and overseeing Accounting, Finance, IT, Compliance, Operations, and Brand Design.  Among other achievements, Tom was instrumental in assisting in the rollout of the Munchkin Compass Goals which lay out the Company's strategic objectives and formation of the corresponding global teams to achieve those objectives" says CEO, Steven Dunn.  

Diana Barnes ("db") joined Munchkin in 2014 as the Vice President of Brand Design/Creative Director and quickly made a significant impact in building a lifestyle brand as part of Munchkin's rebranding efforts. She built a 360-global design department that has won over 20 international awards and spearheaded CSR campaigns such as Project Orca with the CEO, Steven Dunn. In his official announcement, Dunn states "the need for a very senior role to strategize, clarify, and most importantly, to prioritize our branding efforts, is very clear. This need increases as our business grows in size and complexity. Diana will play a key cross-functional and global role as Chief Brand Officer to ensure that our brand image, message, and promise infuses into all parts of a company from marketing and advertising to product development, finance, customer service and everything in between."  

Diana Barnes came to Munchkin with a strong career in brand creative, working many years as an Executive Creative Director for large reputable companies and agencies. While at ABC/Word, EMI, and Dell she built in-house creative and global brand design teams in turn-around situations to award-winning status. While in agency life, she worked on campaigns for Target, Cadillac, and Ghirardelli among others. Ms. Barnes holds a BA from UT, obtained her BFA from Art Center College of Design, and recently completed a Strategic Marketing Management Program at Harvard Business School.  

"Our story is our company, not just the innovative products we make. The best part of my job is amplifying this across every consumer connection with our brand." Barnes states. "Munchkin believes deeply in the power of design to differentiate ourselves and our internal process is committed to this. We believe that design is truly a business tool for growth."  

About Munchkin, Inc. California-based Munchkin has been providing parents with innovative products for more than 25 years and is known as the world's most loved baby lifestyle brand. A global leader in children's feeding & care products, Munchkin has over 190 patents to date and earned more than 180 product awards. Munchkin products are sold in more than 45 countries around the world. Endorsed and recommended by sleep and safety experts, medical professionals, toy specialists and parents, Munchkin products can be found at retail stores internationally.

For more information, visit www.Munchkin.com.  

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fcf8da04-b338-4d69-8147-93cbaa9f716c