Mattel Chief/UA Grad Honored

The Eller College of Business and Public Administration has named Robert Eckert, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Mattel, Inc., as the University of Arizona's 2001 Executive of the Year.

Eckert, who received his undergraduate degree in business administration at the UA in 1976, is the first Eller College alumnus to be honored as the University of Arizona Executive of the Year. He also has an MBA in marketing and finance from Northwestern University's Kellogg School.

Mattel's product line includes Barbie, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Disney, Hot Wheels and Matchbox. Eckert has been credited with getting the company's finances back on track in the short time since joining the $5.5 billion toy manufacturing giant in May 2000.

Before coming to Mattel, Eckert was president and CEO and a 23-year veteran executive at Kraft Foods, the largest U.S.-based packaged food company in the world. There he led Kraft's business units and the company's policy decision-making board. He joined Kraft in 1977, working in various marketing positions until becoming vice president at several levels.

Eckert also serves on the boards of several business and community groups in the Chicago area.