Konami, Playmates Appoint New Presidents

Thursday, both Konami America and Playmates Interactive announced that they have appointed new presidents to head up their software businesses.

Playmates announced that Richard Sallis, the president of Playmates Toys and Playmates Interactive, has resigned from the post after eleven years of service to the company's development. Ron Welch will relocate to the company's Costa Mesa, Calif., headquarters from Columbus, Ohio, where he has been managing the company's Wal-Mart account. Welch brings 25 years of experience in the toy industry to the post, having been previously associated with Fisher-Price and Tomy.

At Konami America, current CEO Kenneth Dirnberger is leaving the company's top post, and will be replaced by Makato Sano - Konami of Japan's director of international business. It is unclear when Dirnberger will leave his current position, but a formal announcement of the move is expected today (Friday) or Monday.