Vanessa Raponi (she/her)

At Spin Master, I oversee manufacturing in Europe and Mexico, where we make millions of toys a year! You can find me playing with toys to help test and improve them. At other times I'm working on the step-by-step process of how we get from a concept design sketch all the way to the shelves of your local toy store. You'll always find me collaborating with different people from all over the world! I work on all issues from cost to quality to safety to manufacturability of the toy. I make dozens of decisions every day that impact all of my toys. I love to say that I make toys for a living!

I also founded an organization to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in engineering. This organization, EngiQueers Canada, is a national non-profit that advocates for the inclusion of queer people in the engineering profession. My work at EngiQueers has taken me coast-to-coast to present in panels, sessions, and give talks on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. I have also launched a vlog on life, stories and advice from the perspective of a queer woman of colour.