Heelys, Inc. hired Japan-Asia Strategies and its principal, Thomas Seymour, to further develop and optimize its business in the Asia Pacific Region. Seymour and his company will be based in Tokyo, Japan and will work directly with John O'Neil, Heelys vice president of International, to evaluate current operations and market potential for Heelys in the region.
“We are extremely pleased to have Tom Seymour working with us,” said O'Neil. “His long experience in the Asia Pacific region and his specific knowledge of markets, channels, consumers and trends that impact the Heelys business will help us drive and optimize our business there.”
Seymour has held several senior business development and general management positions in the Asia Pacific region throughout his career for such companies as Pepsico, Parker Pen, Converse, Spalding, Revlon and Mattel. Over the last ten years, his company, Japan-Asia Strategies, has worked with major consumer brands such as Brooks, Prince Tennis, LA Gear, Mattel and H20+ to develop regional strategies, retail programs and business development opportunities.
Japan-Asia Strategies will work with Heelys to establish and implement a comprehensive Asia Pacific region strategy including the evaluation of current distributors, search for additional distribution partners in country markets not currently represented, survey retailers and channels as well as make product development recommendations based on new consumer trends.
Heelys President and CEO Tom Hansen said, “As our international business becomes more and more important, we want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to maximize the opportunity. Tom Seymour has the depth and type of experience that we're looking for in new partners and we believe that he can help us grow our business in many ways in this increasingly critical region.”
