Why Brands CEO Steve Dunn, CBO Diana Barnes on Baby Industry: ICR Conference 2025
Exec edge He hosted a fire discussion ICR Conference 2025 with Steve DunnFounder and CEO of WHY Brands and Diana BarnesChief Product Officer and Creative Director. TIt was an in-person interview. Joined. Editor-in-chief Jarrett Banks And they discuss the company’s growth and expansion, Munchkin’s award-winning podcast “Stroller Coaster,” and more.
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About Steve Dunn
Steve is the CEO of WHY Brands Inc. CEO, Founder and Chairman, a portfolio of consumer lifestyles that innovates and develops innovative products in various categories, own R&D center – RD8, innovative and purposeful, smart products. Why don’t Munchkin’s parent company, a leading baby lifestyle company, and Curio, a well-crafted furniture brand, step into the spotlight?
In the year In 1990, Steve founded Munchkin, a popular lifestyle brand in Los Angeles. At that time, a young father wanted to bring smart design to the nursery. Steve continues to spend his days brainstorming with product development and marketing teams, and he is the lead inventor on over 350 patents.
Steve received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Greater Los Angeles area in the retail and consumer products category. Prior to starting Munchkin, Steve was a partner at leading venture capital firm Idanta Partners. His previous experience includes an associate position in corporate finance at Bear Stearns. Steve received his BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley and his MBA from Harvard Business School.
About Diana Barnes
Diana Barnes (“DB”) serves as WHY Brands Chief Brand Officer and Creative Director, overseeing global brand engagements and managing PR, social media and brand design teams worldwide – serving as the point of departure for all creative content. DB’s work with the company recently earned her the honor of being named in Fast Company’s 20 World’s Top CMOs.
Before joining Munchkin, DB worked at top agencies such as PIMCO, Cadillac, PBS and other brands. Previously at Dell, Inc. where she led global teams. She was the international director of brand design. DB’s career began in music and entertainment and she held creative executive positions at Sony and EMI.
DB holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a BFA in Graphics/Packaging from ArtCenter College of Design. She also completed several executive MBA programs at Harvard Business School and is a founding member of Chief Los Angeles, a private network designed to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there.
