Kenough Korruption: Mattel Board of Directors, 1982
While everyday might be a great day in Barbie Land, the same cannot be said about the Mattel Board of Directors in 1982. A woman-led start-up founded in a garage in California in 1945, the Mattel Company was initially an inspiring and innovative enterprise that revolutionized the global toy market. With its release of timeless toys like Hot Wheels, the Magic 8-Ball, and Uno, Mattel quickly saw economic growth, becoming an industry leader worth $211 million in 1969. In particular, Mattel’s success can largely be attributed to its creation of the iconic Barbie, a doll toy whose many careers (Barbie went to the moon before Neil Armstrong!) and positive messaging resonated with children across the globe.
However, in 1982, Mattel was drowning in scandals that harmed its public image, cohesion as a company, ability to innovate, and economic profits. The American toy industry has quickly become cutthroat, and Mattel has been caught in a decade-long legal battle over copyright infringement and trademark with Azrak-Hamway International, a rival enterprise. A 1974 criminal investigation further found the Mattel owners and founders guilty of issuing purposefully false and misleading financial reports, resulting in the founders being forced out of the company. The effects of the corporate restructuring, internal divisions, and reputation for corruption that this scandal caused have remained with Mattel and dampened its prospects and public perception. Increasing public attention towards diversity, inclusion, and feminism additionally serve as new factors Mattel must respond to. Perhaps most significantly for the Board, company profits and creativity are declining at the same time as competition intensifies: this year alone Mattel has taken a $394 million loss and almost had to file for bankruptcy. The Mattel Board of Directors must act now to rejuvenate the company’s image, innovation, and financial prospects. Will their efforts be *Kenough* to resolve the crisis?
Chair:
Ryan Reamy
Ryan Reamy is a member of the Class of 2026 in Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service majoring in International Political Economy, with minors in Statistics and International Business Diplomacy. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Ryan is a proud product of the Pacific Northwest. He previously served as a Crisis Analyst for the last two NCSCs and the Director of Operations for the 61st Annual North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN LXI).
On campus, Ryan is involved in Georgetown’s Student Activities Commission, the Hilltop Microfinance Initiative, and Innovo Consulting. He also works in finance at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. In his free time, Ryan loves getting outdoors and trying new restaurants around Washington. Ryan is thrilled to welcome delegates to DC as the Chair of the Mattel Board of Directors and can’t wait to meet you all in the fall!
Crisis Manager:
Jasmine Yazid
Jasmine Yazid is a member of the Class of 2026 in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is majoring in Culture and Politics with minors in Chinese and International Development. She was born in New Jersey (no Jersey hate, please), but has spent the majority of her childhood living across Europe before returning to the United States.
She unfortunately cannot escape the Model UN world, and has staffed Georgetown’s middle school, high school, and college MUN conferences. Last year, she served as one of the Under-Secretaries-General of Economic & Social Councils for Georgetown’s high school conference, NAIMUN. In an unsurprising turn of events, she currently serves as the Secretary-General of NAIMUN LXII. Outside of MUN, Jasmine has been a part of her school’s equestrian team, serves as a deputy on the Academic Council, and tutors students in English. For fun, she likes to spend her days showing people pictures of her golden retriever, drinking vanilla iced lattes while in a rush to class, and “studying” (chatting) with her friends in the school library.
Jasmine is honored to serve as your Crisis Manager for this committee, and cannot wait to welcome you all to Washington this fall! This Barbie is ready for an unforgettable experience, and hopes you all are too.
USG: Caroline Dupas
This committee is in the Councils & Boards Organ, and your Under-Secretary General is Caroline Dupas. Committees in this organ are Non-traditional crises with 25-30 delegates.
If you have any questions about your committee, please reach out to c.dupas@modelun.org.