The organisational changes come after it was announced that Sanjay Luthra, executive vice president and managing director of EMEA and Global Direct-to-Consumer, will take over as chief commercial officer on 1 May 2026, replacing Steve Totzke.
Apostolis Karampatzakis, currently VP and country manager for Mattel’s Pan EMEA Markets (PEM) has been appointed to the newly created role of SVP and Head of Core Europe. He will report directly to Sanjay Luthra, chief commercial officer.
In this role, Karampatzakis will lead commercial strategy, retail distribution channel development, and operational execution across Mattel’s Core Europe markets, including the UK & Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Iberia, Benelux, and the Nordics, with the European Amazon team reporting to him.
Karampatzakis brings more than 25 years of experience at Mattel, having held a variety of leadership roles and built a strong track record of delivering sustainable, profitable growth across the company’s European operations.
His previous positions include senior director of sales for e-commerce in Europe and regional sales director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Most recently, as VP and country manager for PEM, he doubled the region’s business over five years.
In 2024, he was also named the recipient of Mattel’s Annual Chairman’s Award, a global recognition granted to one individual each year.
His strategic aptitude, knowledge of our customers and our people, ability to navigate complex regional dynamics, and expertise in scaling emerging businesses are a testament to his deep commercial acumen and cross-functional leadership, and he is well-positioned to succeed in his new role.
In addition, Sebastian Trischler, VP and country manager DACH & head of E-commerce EMEA, is appointed VP and country manager PEM, responsible for leading the performance and day-to-day commercial operations across the PEM region, also reporting directly to Sanjay Luthra.
Trischler will be responsible for leading a diverse portfolio of countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, overseeing commercial strategy, market development and operational execution across some of the company’s most important growth markets.
With over a decade at Mattel, Trischler brings deep commercial expertise, leading high-performing teams and driving sustainable growth across Europe. Since joining Mattel, Trischler has stepped into roles of increasing scope and strategic impact across DACH and Europe.
In his current role, he has led one of EMEA’s most significant markets and shaped the future of our European e-commerce business.
Luthra says, “As I step into the global role of chief commercial officer, I do so with immense pride in what we have built together in EMEA and with absolute confidence in the future ahead. Apostolis and Sebastian bring the leadership, experience and ambition to continue shaping our next chapter, further modernising how we operate and unlocking a massive opportunity for this important region along with our valued retailers, licensors and partners”.
Karampatzakis said: “After over a quarter century at Mattel, I am honoured to step into this newly created role leading our core Europe markets. I look forward to driving focused and streamlined strategies that will enable Mattel and our partners to further accelerate industry growth.”
Trischler said: “I am excited for the opportunity to lead a dynamic and diverse portfolio of countries across the PEM region, unlocking the potential of some of the company’s most important growth markets.”
