LEGO Ventures, the famous Danish toy company' investment arm that funds startups focused on the innovation of creativity, learning, and play, has appointed Cecilia Qvist as its new Head.
In addition to a new leader, LEGO Ventures also announced Jacob Fonnesbech Aqraou, the former Finance Director of eBay in Europe, has joined its advisory board.
With Qvist’s appointment, LEGO Ventures aims to broaden the impact of Learning-through-Play, the company’s belief that a hands-on and minds-on experience that is intrinsically motivated makes for better learning. She will also help strengthen LEGO’s focus on two strategic investment spaces: Digital Play, which focuses on digital systems-in-play and immersive worlds that offer new and innovative ways to foster creativity, and SuperCharging Education, which centers on innovation in the way learning is delivered, both in formal and informal environments.
“The updated LEGO Ventures strategy emphasises the LEGO Brand’s ambitions and belief in the power of Learning-through-Play and we strongly believe in LEGO Ventures’ role in exploring the future of play on behalf of the LEGO Brand. Cecilia is here to help us achieve just that,” LEGO Executive Chairman Jørgen Vig Knudstorp said in the company’s announcement.
Qvist joins LEGO from Spotify where she had once served as the Global Head of Markets and oversaw the music streaming giant’s global growth strategy with a focus on international expansion, product localization and user growth. She also has held roles at Ericsson, Swedbank, and NASDAQ OMX.
LEGO believes Qvist’s experience leading technology-driven companies through transformations, history building sustainable companies that can scale, and her financial background make her a perfect fit to spearhead its global ambition as the go-to investor across gaming and education technology. The company also stated that her experiences in mergers and acquisitions, as well as her time spent in both China and India, will be invaluable.
Qvist stated, “To explore the connections between learning, creativity, and ‘digital play’ by working with innovations that will shape the future of playful learning is massively exciting. Industries like gaming, adaptive education and virtual reality will have an immense impact on our daily lives in the years to come. I look forward to leading LEGO Ventures and working with the portfolio to realize the vision.”
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