Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> June 8, 1998
BARRY SHAPIRO has been President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
of Just Toys, Inc. since July, 1997. He had previously been appointed
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of the Company in March,
1995. After joining Just Toys in December 1993 as Managing Director of
the Company's Hong Kong subsidiaries, he was subsequently promoted to
Executive Vice President in November 1994 and appointed as Director in
April 1995. A veteran of over 30 years in the toy business, he started
his career as an Assistant Buyer at J.C. Penney, served for almost 10
years as Director of Planning and International Operations at Gabriel
Industries, followed by top management posts at Leisure Dynamics, Inc.
(Lakeside Games Division and Toy Game Hobby Group), Wham-O, and
Imagineering, Inc. Active in the industry, he was elected to the Toy
Manufacturers of America (TMA) Board of Directors in May, 1997, and
named to the Executive Committee of the TMA Board last October. He is a
graduate of Rutgers University and also served as a First Lieutenant in
the U.S. Army. He lives with his wife, Karen in West Harrison, N.Y. Profile
the company, and then bring us up-to-date, over the next two to three
years, what are the key challenges and the key
