Chairman and CEO
Mattel, Inc.
Robert A. Eckert is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Mattel, Inc., the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys with more than $6 billion in annual sales.
Eckert joined Mattel in May 2000 from Kraft Foods, Inc., the largest U.S.-based packaged food company in the world. A 23-year veteran of Kraft, he most recently served as its president and chief executive officer, a position he had held since October 1997. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing all of Kraft’s business units and for leading the company’s policy decision-making board, the Operating Committee.
Previous positions include serving as group vice president of Kraft Foods, Inc. and being responsible for the company’s Oscar Mayer Foods and North American Foodservice Division, along with the Operations, Sales and Customer Service, Technology, Marketing Services, and Business Development staff functions. In addition, Eckert held the position of president of Oscar Mayer Foods, and in that role significantly accelerated its performance with steady improvements in market share. He also oversaw the introduction of new varieties of Oscar Mayer Lunchables Lunch Combinations, which consistently delivered double-digit volume growth. Eckert joined Kraft Foods in 1977 and held a variety of marketing positions until he was named vice president, Strategy and Development for Kraft’s Grocery Products Division in 1987, vice president, Marketing for Refrigerated Products in 1989, and executive vice president of Kraft Foods and general manager of the Kraft Cheese Division in 1990.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Arizona in 1976 and an M.B.A. in marketing and finance from Northwestern University in 1977.
Eckert serves on the McDonald’s Corporation Board of Directors, is a member of the Board of Visitors at The Anderson School at UCLA, the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management Advisory Board at Northwestern University and the Board of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. He also serves on The Trilateral Commission and is a member of The Business Council, the American Society of Corporate Executives, the World Presidents’ Organization in Los Angeles, the Asia Society and Town Hall Los Angeles.
He received the School of American Ballet “Corporate Leadership Award” and the University of Arizona, Eller College “Lifetime Achievement Award.” In 2002, Business Week named Eckert in its “Top Twenty-Five Managers of the Year” issue.
Mattel, Inc., (NYSE: MAT, www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. The Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Barbie®, the most popular fashion doll ever introduced, Hot Wheels®, Matchbox®, American Girl®, Radica® and Tyco® R/C, as well as Fisher-Price® brands, including Little People®, Power Wheels® and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. Mattel is recognized among the 100 Most Trustworthy U.S. Companies by Forbes Magazine and is ranked among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by CRO Magazine and as one of 2008’s 100 Best Companies to Work For by FORTUNE Magazine. Committed to ethical manufacturing sustainable business practices, Mattel marked a 10-year milestone in 2007 for its Global Manufacturing Principles. With global headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs more than 30,000 people in 43 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 nations. Mattel’s vision is to be the world’s premier toy brands — today and tomorrow.
