Former Kidz Entertainment exec Darran Garnham has been tapped to manage the global offline expansion of Mind Candy’s Moshi Monsters brand.

Garnham will head up the global licensing division at the UK-based online game developer and will be charged with developing and implementing its global licensing strategy while building an in-house team and setting up ground support in key global markets.

Garnham’s first hire is Dave Tovey, who has come on board as licensing manager to support growth of the Moshi licensing program within the UK and internationally. Tovey joins from Classic Media, where he worked across food, interactive and digital categories.

Across the pond, Garnham is in search of a US licensing director who will be responsible for setting up and managing a US-based licensing team driving growth of the brand within the territory throughout 2011 and beyond.

Garnham was most recently SVP of sales and marketing, Eastern Europe at Kidz Entertainment, where he was responsible for establishing and managing a network of offices throughout 22 countries in Eastern Europe & CIS. During his time with Kidz, he managed a portfolio of licensing rights for brands including, Lego, BBC Worldwide, 20th Century Fox, Sony,Paramount and DreamWorks.