Playboy Enterprises Elects Alex Vaickus as President
October 06 2009 - 9:32AM
PR Newswire (US)
Scott Stephen Promoted to EVP of Print/Digital Group New
Organizational Structure Will Improve Operating Efficiencies,
Increase Collaboration Across Businesses CHICAGO, October 6
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (PEI)
(NYSE:PLANYSE:PLAA) today announced the promotion and election of
Alex L. Vaickus to the newly created position of president of
Playboy Enterprises. In his new position, Vaickus will oversee all
of the company's business operations, which include print,
television and digital media properties as well as licensing.
Vaickus, who currently serves as executive vice president of PEI
and president of global licensing, will continue to report to PEI
Chief Executive Officer Scott Flanders. Commenting on the new
position, Flanders said: "Our brand is the common bond that ties
together our many businesses and the centerpiece of our growth
strategy. Today's reorganization more tightly integrates our
businesses to enable a more collaborative operation that fosters
creativity and drives growth more efficiently. "As president of our
successful licensing business, Alex has been an effective steward
of the brand," Flanders said. "His ability to grow licensing into
our highest-margin and most-profitable business is testament to his
managerial skills, and I am confident that all of our operating
businesses will benefit from his experience and talent. Alex will
be a great partner to me, the board of directors and the heads of
our business units." As president, global licensing, Vaickus
oversaw the company's domestic and international licensing
business. He assumed that role in 2000 and was responsible for the
Licensing Group's ensuing substantial growth in revenues and
profits. He joined Playboy in 1998 as vice president, strategic
planning. Prior to joining PEI, he spent five years at ConAgra,
Inc., rising to senior vice president, business development for the
Refrigerated Foods Group, and 12 years with Sara Lee Corporation,
where he held a variety of finance, development and planning
positions. Vaickus holds a Master of Business Administration from
the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts from the
University of Illinois. "I am very pleased to be offered this
chance to expand my responsibilities and to play an integral role
in the creation of a new organizational structure," Vaickus said.
"We believe that we have the resources and ability to expand the
Playboy brand's reach and to develop new revenue streams. I am
excited about the potential and look forward to working more
closely with our diverse media businesses." The company also said
that Scott G. Stephen, currently executive vice president of
Playboy Digital, was named executive vice president of the
Print/Digital Group. His responsibilities will expand to include
PEI's print publications, including Playboy magazine, special
editions and other specialty titles, in addition to the online and
mobile properties that he currently manages. He will report to Alex
Vaickus. After joining PEI as senior vice president of the online
business, Stephen later was promoted to executive vice president of
worldwide digital, which gave him responsibility for the company's
global online and mobile businesses. He joined Playboy in 2003 from
Yesmail, Inc., where he served as chief operating officer. Prior to
that, Stephen spent six years at SAP/Campbell Software. He began
his career at Peterson and Company Consulting and later moved to
Converse, Inc. Stephen is a graduate of the Kellogg Graduate School
of Management at Northwestern University and holds a Bachelor of
Arts from the University of Notre Dame. Both promotions are
effective immediately. Playboy is one of the most recognized and
popular consumer brands in the world. Playboy Enterprises, Inc. is
a media and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide
range of media properties and licensing initiatives. The company
publishes Playboy magazine in the United States and abroad and
creates content for distribution via television networks, websites,
mobile platforms and radio. Through licensing agreements, the
Playboy brand appears on a wide range of consumer products in more
than 150 countries as well as retail stores and entertainment
venues. DATASOURCE: Playboy Enterprises, Inc. CONTACT: Investors,
Martha Lindeman, +1-312-373-2430, , or Media, Matthew Pakula,
+1-312-373-2435, , both of Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
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