Toy Story

From the children who play with hot wheels cars to his own team members, Vice President and General Manager of Mattel Thailand and Malaysia, Nat Arjun is passionate about inspiring the next generation.

- Jodie Darlington

Can you guess which company is the largest car manufacturer in the world? No, it’s not Volkswagen, Toyota, Renault, General Motors, Ford or Hyundai. Here’s a hint: the vehicles made by this company can fit in the palm of your hand. Yes, it’s hard to believe, but multinational toy company Mattel actually produces more cars than any other company – even if they are miniature versions of the real thing.

In his role as Mattel Thailand and Malaysia Vice President and General Manager, Nat Arjun oversees the production of diecast Hot Wheels and Matchbox vehicles in both countries.

“We proudly say that we are the largest car manufacturer in the world,” he says, grinning.

“We make millions of vehicles in a week. But it is the diversity of our products that makes us unique – we make more than 2,000 different types of vehicles in a year, many with complex decorations.”

Since starting out in Mattel’s finance department in the United States in 1985, Nat has spent the past three decades working his way up through the ranks. “From the beginning I was very happy with the style of leadership in the company and the entrepreneurial culture,” he reflects.

“Over time, in most large companies, silos and bureaucracies tend to develop. The leadership at Mattel has continuously and consciously attempted to attack such silos and bureaucracies. I was given a lot of opportunities to grow within the company. At Mattel, what you can be is limited only by your talents and abilities.”

Following stints working at the toy giant’s manufacturing plants in Indonesia and Mexico, Nat became Vice President and General Manager of the Thailand facility in 2011. Last year, he also took on responsibility for Mattel’s Malaysian operations. Nat says working with people is what he enjoys most about his role.