Mattel golden boy Richard Dickson is the new CEO of Gap, ending a year-long search for a visionary leader to take the helm of the struggling mothership brand. Dickson is widely credited with reviving Barbie for the 21st century.

President and COO at Mattel

Mattel announced Dickson’s departure as President and Chief Operating Officer to staff early Wednesday, as many were still celebrating Barbie’s humongous box office success. In his role, Mr. Dickson leads Mattel's portfolio of global brands, overseeing innovation strategy, design and development, and brand marketing.

Dickson joined the retailer’s board in November 2022 and is responsible for a new partnership in which Gap sells merchandise themed around Mattel’s properties. First up is Barbie, where Gap began selling T-shirts, hoodies, jeans and other gear inspired by Barbie and Ken in May.

Dickson will depart Mattel on Aug. 3 before starting his new role at Gap on Aug. 22. WSJ reports that Dickson received $5.6 million in compensation at Mattel last year, according to securities filings.

A Blinding Set of Power Skills

His crisscrossing career between retail and Mattel has clearly given Dickson a set of executive power skills. Add the fact that he also was a co-founder of The Gloss. His resume reflects staggering competency mixed with a creative and truly brilliant vision.

President and CEO of Branded Businesses for The Jones Group Inc.

Previously, Mr. Dickson was President and CEO of Branded Businesses for The Jones Group, Inc., a leading portfolio of fashion brands, according to his Mattel Executive Page. In this role, he led global design and development including marketing and merchandising, wholesale, retail and E-Commerce for the Jones portfolio, reinvigorating dated fashion labels into powerful fashion brands and acquiring and developing new brands, which he then sold to private equity.

General Manager and SVP of Barbie

Prior to Jones, Mr. Dickson spent 10 years at Mattel in senior management positions. In his role as General Manager and Senior Vice President for Barbie, Mr. Dickson led a global revitalization of the iconic Barbie brand, including a new identity, product innovation, designer collaborations, content, global events, and distinctive retail.

Co-Founder Gloss.com

Prior to joining Mattel in 2000, Mr. Dickson spent more than a decade in various roles at Bloomingdale’s before co-founding Gloss.com, the first online retailer dedicated to high-end cosmetics. Gloss.com was acquired by Estee Lauder Companies in 2000.

GAP Struggles

AOC never believed that Kanye West could really help the Gap, given West’s ego and lack of self-discipline. But Richard Dickson is a wow on the level of Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton Mens. Dickson’s appointment is truly exciting.

Gap has been a monster-size ship afloat in recent years, sandwiched between the step up success of Zara and step sideways and even down, from a pricepoint view, TikTok success of Shein.

Gap has more than $15 billion in annual sales, roughly three times as much as Mattel, writes WSJ. But Gap’s market capitalization has shriveled to about $3.4 billion, which is roughly half of Mattel’s market value.

For the most recent fiscal year, Gap’s sales fell 6% and the company lost $202 million. The super star is now an onknown to Gap.

Dickson’s crisscrossing career between retail and Mattel has clearly given him a top-tier set of executive power skills. His resume reflects staggering competency mixed with a creative, truly brilliant vision of brands and brand synergies. Clearly, if Richard Dickson can’t save the Gap, no one can. We wish him the very, very best! ~ Anne