Mattel has named former LEGO exec Glenn Abell as SVP of MEGA and global head of its construction category.

Reporting to president and COO Richard Dickson, Abell starts in the role today and will oversee MEGA SVP Bisma Ansari.

Abell joins Mattel from Moose Toys, where he served as president and general manager. But before that, he spent 16 years with The LEGO Group, exiting the company in 2018 as VP and head of global e-commerce.

His long history working in the building set market should help Mattel’s efforts to grow its construction toy business, which includes the MEGA Bloks and MEGA Construx lines it acquired in 2014 with its purchase of Mega Brands for US$460 million.

The toymaker’s renewed focus on the construction category comes as rival kidcos ramp up their own building toy offerings, including Hasbro’s recent launch of a Play-Doh Builder range.