KC-based Hallmark goes outside the Hall family in naming new president and CEO

Hallmark veteran Mike Perry has been appointed the next president and chief executive officer of the Kansas City company.

As part of the move, announced in a news released Wednesday, brothers Don and Dave Hall will step aside from their current respective roles as CEO and president of Hallmark Cards Inc. Don Hall will become Hallmark’s executive chairman and Dave Hall will become executive vice chairman.

Perry, a 30-year veteran of the company, previously worked as president of Hallmark Greetings, leading that division’s product development, marketing sales, finance, human resources and operations. The company’s announcement said the new chief executive would preserve Hallmark’s private ownership.

“I am honored to continue the legacy of leadership at Hallmark and look forward to sustaining Hallmark’s relentless pursuit of engaging with our core shoppers and viewers as the marketplace rapidly evolves,” Perry said in the news release. “We will continue to build on our momentum and deliver the strategic priorities needed to advance our diverse portfolio of businesses, while continuing the privilege we have at Hallmark of putting care into the world.”

Members of the Hall family have been involved in leading the company since its inception in 1910. Perry’s appointment marks only the second time the board has selected a chief executive outside the Hall family.

Irvine Hockaday served as president and CEO from 1985 to 2001.

Don Hall said the new CEO would continue to build on the company’s recent progress on transforming the more than 100-year-old company.

“We are confident in Mike’s history of proven leadership to drive the important work ahead by maintaining an elevated focus on our consumer, accelerating our digital commercialization efforts, and delivering best-in-class execution,” Hall said in the news release.

Perry started at Hallmark in 1989. In 2009, he was named president and CEO of Crayola, part of Hallmark’s portfolio of businesses. He was promoted to president of Hallmark Greetings in 2015 and took global responsibility for the business in 2018, the news release said.

Perry earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

This story was originally published June 26, 2019 at 12:43 PM.