Panini America has hired collectibles industry veteran Martin Welling as its new Vice President of Operations. Welling spent the previous 18 years at The Upper Deck Company, most recently as that company’s Senior Vice President of Creative Services. At Panini America, Welling will oversee the product development, production and creative departments for the company and will report to Panini America CEO Mark Warsop.
“Martin joins the Panini America team boasting a wealth of experience within our industry. Without question, he will be a valuable member of our team,” Warsop said in a news release. “He started at Upper Deck as a Senior Designer in 1992 and spent the last 10 years before he resigned as a widely-respected leader within that company and throughout the entire sports collectibles industry.
“Our primary mission for 2012 remains: Deliver quality products to the marketplace in a timely fashion. Meeting the schedule is critical to our company’s success and Martin will play a vital role in leading that charge.”
“I’m thrilled with the opportunity that Panini America has presented me and I’m truly excited about the challenges that are ahead,” Welling said. “Panini America is the industry leader for a reason: It excels in providing opportunities for success for its employees and customers and promotes team spirit and mutual respect throughout the organization and industry.”
Panini America manufactures fully licensed trading cards and stickers for the NBA, NFL, NFL PLAYERS, NHL, NHLPA, MLBPA and FIFA World Cup.
