Corinne Mescher of MGA Entertainment Among Linkage’s Women in Leadership Executive Impact Award Recipients

Each year, Linkage presents the Women in Leadership Executive Impact Award to three executives who have demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of women leaders and consistently go above and beyond to make a difference.

Over the next three weeks, we will announce the three recipients of the 2019 award and highlight some of the personal and professional accomplishments of the leaders selected for this prestigious honor.

Recipients of the award are innovators and change-makers who are committed to developing and implementing new approaches to achieving gender parity within their organizations, and beyond. They work to advance and support women leaders at all levels in meaningful ways. And, their personal stories are inspirational case studies of what it takes to achieve results and make an impact.

The recipients will be presented with their award at Linkage’s 20th Annual Women in Leadership Institute^™ (WIL) in Phoenix, Arizona on November 11-14, 2019. They will also participate in a panel hosted by Wall Street Legend and author Carla Harris, during which they will share insights with 900+ women leaders representing every industry.

This year’s recipients were selected from hundreds of nominations and represent the best of the best in personal and professional commitment to the advancement of women leaders and excellence in leadership. Read on for more about the first of three recipients for 2019.

2019 Women in Leadership Executive Impact Award Recipient

Corinne Mescher, Vice President Marketing, Global Brand Strategy at MGA Entertainment

As a marketing executive with two decades of experience spanning merchandising, licensing, entertainment and consumer products, with a focus on kids and family, Corinne Mescher drives results–including leading a global phenomenon and #1 best-selling toy brand, two years in a row.

In her current position as VP Marketing, Global Brand Strategy for MGA Entertainment, Corinne leads the brand and marketing activities for MGA’s girls’ toy portfolio, which include more than 15 brands. Corinne consistently challenges and drives her teams–at all levels–to bring fresh, new ideas to break through status quo. This approach is one that has led to successful coaching and mentoring of her team and has further laid the foundation for her brand’s successful 360-consumer marketing campaigns. Corinne’s leadership and guidance across various cross-disciplinary and international teams have created a global phenomenon and the #1 best-selling brand, two years in a row–L.O.L. Surprise.

Corinne’s success is directly tied to her strong belief in the power of women leaders and the potential of young girls to achieve their dreams. As an executive, she walks the walk of women’s leadership, identifying and supporting women leaders to greater heights both inside and outside of her organization. he has been fortunate to have had successful women mentors and senior leadership in her early career that set the stage to help her thrive at Pottery Barn corporate, Old Navy corporate and The Walt Disney Company.

“Corinne is a champion of women,” said one of her nominators. “She assumes her power in executive conversations to ensure women of all professional levels are rightfully respected, regarded, and empowered. She is a true advocate for gender equality and uses her influence to inspire others to join in and take action. She is a truly fearless leader, fully committed and invested in helping, guiding, growing and advancing women–socially and professionally.”

Members of her team point to her ability to inspire those around her to achieve results they may not have believed possible. “Many people can teach, but few people can inspire like Corinne,” said another one of her nominators. “She motivates her team and those around her to constantly improve themselves and the work they produce. I have witnessed her take many young, female leaders under her wing and guide them to their current level of success. I am very lucky to work with Corinne at this stage in my career and have access to her guidance and leadership.”

A focus on inclusion is one of the cornerstones of Corinne’s leadership style. “Corinne is an inclusive leader who gives every member of her team an opportunity to shine,” said one of her nominators. “She encourages collaboration across all functional areas of our organization, which has led to the advancement and promotion of a number of women on the team. She mentors young women and helps them to develop confidence to lean in and have their voices heard.”

“Corinne’s tenure at MGA has been marked with an innate ability to tap into what little girls are thinking, how they are playing and what they want next,” one of her nominators wrote. “She also understands how mom’s play into the decision-making process, so they feel good about the toys they buy for their young daughters.”

Corinne’s commitment to the advancement of women leaders and the empowerment of young girls extends to her work at MGA Entertainment, where she is responsible for leading brand oversight with the strongest product development team for girls toys in the industry. She brings an important goal to this work; to empower young girls to greater heights through toys that promote creativity, imagination, and interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) disciplines. Most recently, she brought this mission to life with a great team through the concept inception and creation of the Netflix original series “Project Mc²,” which included the first-ever STEM-integrated fashion dolls and DIY activities program aimed at girls. The tagline of the program? “Smart is the New Cool^™–where being fashionable and smart isn’t mutually exclusive.”

The brands Corinne helps create and market allow girls to design complete worlds that challenge their imaginations and intellect, all while incorporating critical social benefits such as cooperative play and intellectual curiousness. These benefits are critical to developing girls’ self-esteem as part of their overall social and emotional development.

For her nominators, the example Corinne sets as a leader is meaningful. “She embodies the tenant of “Smart is the new Cool”,” said one of her nominators. “She is smart beyond measure, demands the best of herself and everyone around her, and is unafraid to be intimidatingly more capable than every person in the room and yet totally loving, caring and supportive. She doesn’t hide her brilliance to be “soft” like women are asked to be. She’s the real deal and a real person.”

Linkage’s Women in Leadership Institute^™ (WIL), a four-day immersive learning experience, has equipped more than 10,000 women with actionable strategies to overcome the seven hurdles women often face in the workplace. Join us for the 20th Anniversary Institute on November 11-14, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona.