Executive Bios
Lisa McKnight
Executive Vice President & Chief Brand Officer
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 including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, and American Girl, as well as design and development across the entire portfolio. Ms. McKnight has held several senior leadership positions at Mattel over 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 led the charge in scaling the Barbie brand by nearly 2X, with Barbie enjoying its highest growth in sales in more than two decades in 2021. Most recently, Ms. McKnight led a critical effort to further recontextualize the Barbie brand for the next generation, partnering closely with Warner Bros, Atlantic Records, and filmmakers of BARBIE to bring the record-breaking film to life. She spearheaded an award-winning best-in-class marketing campaign for Mattel to support Barbie’s big screen debut, bringing the story of the Barbie brand to life through a new lens. The film grossed more than $1.44 billion at the worldwide box office, breaking the record for the highest-grossing film from a female director, the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros’ 100-year history, and the biggest film of 2023. Ms. McKnight also led the charge in defining Barbie’s global social mission with the Barbie Dream Gap Project launch in 2018, a multi-year initiative dedicated to leveling the playing field for every girl. Since its launch, the program has impacted over 25 million girls. Ms. McKnight has driven the significant expansion of Mattel’s portfolio, including winning back the licensing rights to the Disney Princess and Disney Frozen franchise, as well as Universal’s top entertainment properties, including Trolls. 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 is currently on the Board of Directors of the ANA and 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. In 2023, she was presented with the Trailblazer award from Women in Toys, recognizing her dedication to uplifting women in the industry and breaking boundaries for the next generation. Ms. McKnight is a frequent guest speaker at conferences such as the Cannes International Advertising Festival, Advertising Week, Fast Company Innovation Festival, WFA Global Marketer Conference, Fortune Most Powerful Women, Most Contagious Summit, and The Gathering Summit, which welcomed Barbie as a cult brand in 2021. Forbes, Campaign US, and Insider recognized Ms. McKnight as one of the top brand marketers in the world for 2023. Ms. McKnight received a Bachelor of Arts from Denison University.
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 including...
Krista Berger
Senior Vice President of Barbie & Global Head of Dolls
Krista Berger is Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls of Mattel. She joined Mattel in 2008. In her current role, Ms. Berger oversees the Barbie and Dolls portfolio for Mattel, including Monster High, Polly Pocket, and licensed properties with Disney, Universal, and Warner Brothers, leading a global team in brand strategy, product development, and marketing execution. Ms. Berger’s career at Mattel began in the Dolls division, where she established a robust foundation of intellectual property, licensor management, and commercial expertise across the Dolls portfolio and the U.S. Barbie business. When Mattel acquired Mega Brands in 2014, Ms. Berger served as a key member of the integration team, leading the Mega strategic rebranding initiative that resulted in increased distribution and impressive double-digit sales growth in the construction category. Returning to the Barbie team in 2017, Ms. Berger helped drive record performance by increasing the toy business by over 60%. Notably, Berger’s vision and leadership played a pivotal role in the re-establishment of Barbie as the #1 global doll property. As Vice President of Global Brand Marketing and Partnerships, Ms. Berger played a pivotal role in scaling the Barbie brand to double its size, with Barbie enjoying its highest growth in sales in more than two decades in 2021. In her prior role as Vice President for American Girl Marketing, Partnerships, Content Development, and Sales, Berger’s experience was instrumental in driving the success and innovation of the American Girl brand. Ms. Berger’s contributions and dedication to excellence have garnered several industry recognitions and accolades including the Ad Age 40 Under 40, Brand Innovators 40 Under 40, and the Women In Toys Wonder Women Award. She is highly active in the Women of Mattel employee resource group, serving as President from 2020-2022 and continuing her involvement as the current Executive Sponsor. Ms. Berger received a Bachelor of Science from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and a Master of Business Administration from Drucker School of Management.
Krista Berger is Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls of Mattel. She joined Mattel in 2008. In her current role, Ms. Berger oversees the Barbie and Dolls portfolio for Mattel, including...
Kim Culmone
Senior Vice President & Global Head of Barbie, American Girl and Dolls Design
Kim Culmone serves as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Dolls Design at Mattel, Inc. The portfolio of brands she oversees includes Barbie, American Girl, Monster High, Polly Pocket, Mattel Creations, and other proprietary brands and licensed properties in partnership with Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., and more. As the executive head of design for Mattel Creations, Mattel’s e-commerce and content platform for creators and innovators where the world of toys and art fuse, Kim oversees brand collaborations across the entire Mattel portfolio. In her current role, Ms. Culmone leads an award-winning team of product and graphic designers tasked with keeping the brands they steward innovative and reflective of the world kids see around them. She is entrusted with the creative direction of some of the most iconic and ground-breaking toy brands in the world. Prior to her current expanded role, Ms. Culmone was Vice President of Design for Barbie. From 2013-2019, she was responsible for all products and packaging for the brand. During that time, she helped launch the popular @BarbieStyle Instagram channel, which has over 2.9 million followers and unprecedented social media engagement within the toy industry. She also served as Vice President of Consumer Products Design, setting the creative vision for style guide development and licensed product design for Mattel’s global dolls brands, including Barbie, Monster High and Polly Pocket. In this role, she led Mattel’s licensing design teams around the world and developed products in over 50 categories in partnership with licensees in over 150 countries. Ms. Culmone started her career at Mattel in 1999 as a designer for Barbie. Throughout her 25-year tenure at the company, she has maintained a creative process that emphasizes purpose-driven, consumer-centric design. As featured in the Hulu documentary Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie, in 2015 she led the design of the most ethnically diverse doll line in the brand’s history. That line included the introduction of three new doll body types - curvy, tall and petite. This bold product reinvention led to a TIME cover, was named one of the “Top 25 Inventions of 2016” by the magazine and received the Barbie brand’s first-ever “Doll of the Year Award,” a coveted honor from the Toy Industry Association. Today Barbie is the most diverse doll line. Further championing diversity and inclusivity efforts across the doll portfolio, Ms. Culmone oversaw the design of Creatable World, the first gender-inclusive doll line. The ground-breaking product line challenged typical perceptions of what a doll could be and who dolls are for, inviting all kids to play. Creatable World sparked cultural conversation, increased representation in the toy aisle, and was named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2019. Recently, Ms. Culmone worked closely with Barbie the Movie filmmakers and Warner Bros. to bring the global phenomenon to life by heading an in-depth immersion into Mattel’s archives, consulting on the overall aesthetic, and overseeing the creation of the Barbie dolls inspired by the movie, named the 2023 Doll of the Year by The Toy Foundation’s Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. Bringing in more than $1.44 billion at the worldwide box office, the film became the the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros’ 100-year history–breaking the record for the highest-grossing film from a female director and the biggest film of 2023. The film also garnered over 450 industry nominations and wins. Ms. Culmone is passionate about the advancement of women and girls and supports LGBTQ+ organizations in her community and beyond. As an executive champion of OPEN, an LGBTQ+ employee resource group at Mattel, she helps to foster an inclusive workplace. She was named to Out Magazine’s Out 100 list in 2020 and to Fast Company’s 2024 Queer 50 list, which celebrates LGBTQ individuals who are radically transforming the worlds of tech, finance, venture capital, media, and entertainment. Ms. Culmone also proudly serves on the board of directors for The Freedom to Choose Project, a non-profit that works to transform the lives of individuals impacted by incarceration. Ms. Culmone also proudly serves on the board of directors for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, a non-profit that provides programs and services for more LGBTQ+ people than any other organization in the world and the Freedom to Choose Project, a non-profit that works to transform the lives of individuals impacted by incarceration. Prior to joining Mattel, Ms. Culmone co-founded and was creative director of the Los Angeles-based textile art studio The Design Garage Inc. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, resides in West Hollywood, California and holds design degrees from Louisiana State University and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles.
Kim Culmone serves as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Dolls Design at Mattel, Inc. The portfolio of brands she oversees includes Barbie, American Girl, Monster High, Polly Pocket, Mattel Creations,...
Robert Best
Vice President Barbie Dolls Design
Twenty years ago, a talented young fashion designer met his muse. That designer is Robert Best and his inspiration was Barbie. After designing for Donna Karan and Isaac Mizrahi, Best came to Mattel to design for the world’s most fashionable doll and has since made an indelible impression on the brand. While at Mattel, Best has designed countless dolls representing characters from film and television, top celebrities and musicians. Additionally, many luxury fashion designers have entrusted Best to faithfully re-create their designs in Barbie scale. A crowning achievement came in 2000 when Best created the prestigious "Barbie Fashion Model Collection," an original line that celebrates Barbie as the ultimate fashion model. Rooted in the romance of the 50’s and 60’s and inspired by Best’s love affair with black-and-white films and his passion for classics like Balenciaga and Dior, the designs are timeless, instantly identifiable and thoroughly Barbie. In 2010, the Barbie Fashion Model Collection book was published, celebrating 10 years of the collection that can truly be called the “Best of Barbie.” Best studied fashion design at Parsons, The New School for Design in New York and was awarded “Student Designer of the Year” upon graduating. “One of my instructors told me that my sketches looked like Barbie," said Best. "So maybe it was prophetic.” Best gained pop culture fame himself in 2006 when he appeared on the wildly popular and long-running reality series Project Runway. Best and Barbie have been an extraordinary match. “My experience designing for Barbie has enabled me to reach more people than I ever did working in high fashion,” said Best. “In that aspect, Barbie is unique. Muse to some of the most influential fashion houses of all time, Barbie is also a toy that fires the imagination of children everywhere.”
Twenty years ago, a talented young fashion designer met his muse. That designer is Robert Best and his inspiration was Barbie. After designing for Donna Karan and Isaac Mizrahi, Best came to Mattel to...