MRF Group-backed Funskool India, a name synonymous with toys, affordable action figures, and board games many an Indian child growing up in the past few decades, has announced the appointment of its new chief executive officer. K A Shabir was promoted to CEO, with immediate effect, the company announced on Wednesday.
Shabir was the VP of international business, manufacturing, factory operations and new product development at Funskool. He will succeed outgoing CEO R Jeswant.
"Funskool pioneered the concept of quality and safety in toys and has been instrumental in raising the standards of toys in India. To lead this 39-year-old organisation, which has many firsts to its credit at a time when it is expanding rapidly, is an honour", said Shabir.
The incoming CEO has been with Funskool since 1991, according to his professional profile on Linkedin. Among the laurels he is credited with on his profile, Shabir grew the export business of Funskool by over 20 times from FY2015 to FY2024, at a CAGR of over 35 per cent. He raised the market share of the Indian toy brand in the toy export volumes of the country by four times in the last nine years.
Shabir is a management alumnus of the Goa Institute of Management (GIM).
Funskool has always been among the pioneers in the board game market aimed at "tabletop" gamers. Last August, it announced that it acquired the rights to manufacture and distribute the highly coveted board game Catan from Asmodee.
Earlier last year, Funskool also announced it expanded its Ranipet production facility to add 1.63 lakh sqft to its premises.
Funskool products now have a pan-India presence in retail outlets, including major e-commerce platforms.
