Hasbro Women Innovators of Play Returns for Third Annual Virtual Event and Challenge

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PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 23, 2025--

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), a leading games, IP, and toy company, today announced its Hasbro Women Innovators of Play 2025 lineup of events to celebrate and connect women toy and game innovators worldwide. The third annual program launches on October 9, 2025, building on the remarkable success of 2024.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250923378831/en/

Hasbro's Women Innovators of Play launched in Fall 2023 to inspire the next generation of women and girls to unleash their creativity and increase awareness and exposure to creative career paths.

"At Hasbro, we’re driven by a powerful mission: to spark joy and foster community through the magic of play. Through our Playing to Win strategy, we’re proud to be opening more doors for women and girls in the toy and game industry,” said Kim Boyd, President, Licensing & Entertainment. “The enthusiasm surrounding our Women Innovators of Play program has been truly inspiring—2024 saw double the registrations compared to the prior year, with participants joining from all corners of the world. This year’s program unites trailblazing industry leaders who are redefining the future of play and imagination."

Hasbro's 2024 Challenge saw over 100 submissions from women innovators globally. Submissions were judged on innovation, mass marketability, fun factor and playability, design and aesthetics, and manufacturability. The three winners – Elise Hardman, Amelie Le-Roche, and Natalie Podd – each received a prize of $10,000 USD and visits to Hasbro offices for networking and mentorship sessions with Hasbro women leaders.

2025 Program Features Leading Women Innovators

This year’s free, 90-minute virtual program will feature conversations and panels with industry leaders, including Eunice Lee, COO of Scopely; executives from Amazon, Target, and IDEO; and Hasbro leaders. Sessions will cover leadership insights, retail trends, product design, and the future of gaming.

Key sessions include:

• "Lessons in Leadership, Fandom, and the Future of Play" with Eunice Lee (COO, Scopely) and Roberta Thomson (CEO of AI Studio, Hasbro).
• "Shop Talk: Power Dynamics, Pivoting, and the Female POV" featuring Christina Jansa (VP – Toys, Target), Anne Carrihill (Director – Toys & Games, Amazon), Greta Carey (Director – Digital Marketing & Sales, Card Kingdom), and Lisa Gilbert (President – NA & LATAM Commercial Sales, Hasbro) – moderated by Ali Mierzejewski (Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Insider).
• "From Sketchbook to Shelf" with Liz DeSilva (Chief Creative Officer, Whatever! Company), Vlasta Komorous-King (Senior Design Director, IDEO), and Jodi Bondi Norgaard (Toy Designer) – moderated by Vivian Nguyen (Associate Principal Product Designer, Hasbro).

The program will also feature inspiring "Spark Moments" with award-winning game designer Elizabeth Hargrave and experiential designers Juliana Moreno and Ariel Rubin (the Wild Optimists).

See the full lineup of speakers here: https://spark.hasbro.com/womeninnovators

Third Annual Design Challenge Opens

The 2025 Women Innovators of Play Design Challenge will accept submissions from October 9 through November 13, 2025, in search of the next great woman-led mass-market toy or game.

The top three innovators will receive:

• $10,000 USD Cash prize
• A trip to Hasbro's World Headquarters for "A Day at Hasbro"
• A mentorship session with one of Hasbro's top women leaders

Two 2024 winners, Elise Hardman and Natalie Podd, will share advice and insights during the 2025 virtual event.

Global Community and Partnerships

The Women Innovators of Play community continues to grow, with the program's LinkedIn group reaching over 1,000 members from across the toy, game, licensing and entertainment industries. Register to join here.

Hasbro is pleased to welcome The Toy Book as the returning official media partner for the 2025 Women Innovators of Play program, continuing our successful collaboration from 2024.

The program also includes Hasbro's partnership with Girl Up, a girl-centered leadership development initiative of the United Nations Foundation, through the Girl Innovators of Play program for girls and young women ages 13-24.

For more information on Hasbro Women Innovators of Play 2025 and to sign up for ongoing event updates, please visit: https://spark.hasbro.com/womeninnovators

About Hasbro

Hasbro is a leading games, IP and toy company whose mission is to create joy and community through the magic of play. With over 164 years of expertise, Hasbro delivers groundbreaking play experiences and reaches over 500 million kids, families and fans around the world, through physical and digital games, video games, toys, licensed consumer products, location-based entertainment, film, TV and more.

Through its franchise-first approach, Hasbro unlocks value from both new and legacy IP, including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, MONOPOLY, HASBRO GAMES, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH and PEPPA PIG, as well as premier partner brands. Powered by its portfolio of thousands of iconic marks and a diversified network of partners and subsidiary studios, Hasbro brings fans together wherever they are, from tabletop to screen.

For more than a decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media, a 2025 JUST Capital Industry Leader, one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S. by the Civic 50, and a Brand that Matters by Fast Company. For more information, visit https://corporate.hasbro.com or @Hasbro on LinkedIn.

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View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250923378831/en/

Hasbro Media Contact: Andrea Snyder |[email protected]

KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA RHODE ISLAND

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: WOMEN OTHER RETAIL SPECIALTY GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CONSUMER TOYS RETAIL ENTERTAINMENT

SOURCE: Hasbro, Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2025.

PUB: 09/23/2025 09:00 AM/DISC: 09/23/2025 08:59 AM

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