Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP), a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today the appointment of Andreas Niedergesäss to the position of Vice President Consumer Products, Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, Germany, with immediate effect. Niedergesäss, based in Berlin and Düsseldorf, will report jointly into Jean-Philippe Randisi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, NVCP for Europe, Near East and Africa, Canada and Latin America based in London, and Oliver Schablitzki, Vice President, NICK, MTV Networks Germany (MTVN), based in Berlin.

Niedergesäss will lead the Consumer Products team in Germany and is responsible for the management and development of all of Viacom’s Consumer Products activities in the market, across all brands including, NICK, MTV, VIVA and COMEDY CENTRAL. In addition, the development of client relationships with existing and potential licence holders and the further development of retail activities will be part of his remit.

“Germany’s licensing market is changing fast and becoming more and more sophisticated. We are incredibly fortunate to have secured a licensing executive of Andreas’ calibre to drive our business there,” commented Jean-Philippe Randisi, SVP & MD, NVCP for ENEA, Canada and Latin America. “Our local NVCP team and partners have done a tremendous job in establishing our core properties such as Dora The Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants and will work with Andreas on new growth opportunities and launching new licensing lines around MTVN’s portfolio of brands.”

Oliver Schablitzki added: “Andreas Niedergesäss’ extensive knowledge and experience within the German market are a great asset as we look to diversify our licensing and merchandising activities. German audiences have a strong and established connection with our core brands such as Nickelodeon and MTV, and we will continue to deliver innovative and compelling product that reflect our viewers’ lifestyle and culture.”

Andreas Niedergesäss joins MTVN Germany with a wealth of expertise and years in the licensing and merchandising industry. Most recently he held the position of Senior Sales Manger, Licensing and Merchandising, at SuperRTL from 2005 to 2008, where he oversaw the strategic development of sales activities across several key global brands including Disney, Hasbro, HIT and CCI. Previous to that, he was Sales and Marketing Director at German media company, Baby Care Hardware from 2004, and has held various additional Director positions in the industry since starting his career as Advertising and PR Manager for German company, Coplan. Niedergesäss holds a Business Administration degree from Heinrich Heine Universität, Düsseldorf and lives in Düsseldorf with his family.