Paul Faulkner has a soft spot for Uno, even though it was a constant source of arguments in the back of the family station wagon. He and his siblings played it on the way to beach holidays and years later, he played it with his own sons, who are almost adults now. 

By the time he joined Mattel, the company that makes it, in 2018, he had spent almost 23 years at Nike. Nike took Faulkner and his young family on an international expedition to Portland, Oregon, and to Singapore, where he ran its Southeast Asian business. 

Now, he is the managing director of Mattel’s Asia Pacific business and has learnt to leave more decisions to colleagues who live and work in those markets.

“You can’t be across every detail in every market, so you need strong teams, clear priorities and the trust to empower teams to deliver,” he told Inside Retail.

Faulkner spoke to Inside Retail about what he brought with him from Nike, how he gives local teams room to make their own calls, his return to competitive swimming and what he’s learnt from people who never really outgrew their favourite toys.

Inside Retail: Can you take me to the beginning – how did your earlier career lead you to Mattel? Is there an experience that stayed with you?

Paul Faulkner: I’ve spent much of my career working with global consumer brands across sport and retail, with roles spanning Australia, New Zealand, the US and Asia.

I spent almost 23 years with Nike, including time living in Portland, Oregon, where Nike is headquartered, and Singapore, where I was vice president and general manager for Southeast Asia.

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