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Ken Potrock, the current president of Disneyland, will shift to a new role as president of The Walt Disney Company Major Events Integration, with Disney Signature Experiences and Shanghai Disney also getting new chiefs.
By Alex Weprin
Media & Business Writer
The Walt Disney Co. is shaking up the executive ranks in its Experiences division, with Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort set to get a new president as part of the changes.
Disney says that Ken Potrock, the current president of Disneyland Resort, will move to a new corporate role as president of The Walt Disney Company major events Integration. The new role will see Potrock, who was named president of Disneyland in 2020, “responsible for developing comprehensive, cross company plans to maximize the value of large-scale sports, entertainment and tourism events ranging from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to the 250th Anniversary of the nation.”
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Potrock will continue reporting to Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro, while also reporting to ESPN and sports chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
Disney had previously noted that the Paris Olympics ended up being a drag on Disneyland Paris last year, as tourists traveled to the games, rather than the park. The new role suggests that he will be focused on turning major events (presumably including the 2027 Super Bowl, which will be held in Los Angeles) into opportunities for the company to capitalize on, rather than a drag.
Meanwhile, Thomas Mazloum has been named the new president of Disneyland Resort.
Mazloum was most recently president of Disney Signature Experiences, which includes Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Disney’s Aulani resort and other businesses, and befoe that served in various leadership roles at Walt Disney World.
Disneyland, of course, is Walt Disney’s original live experience experiment, and has more than 36,000 employees across its two theme parks, hotels, and Downtown Disney section.
Joe Schott has been tapped to lead Disney Signature Experiences, joining from Shanghai Disney, where he was president and GM. Andrew Bolstein has been promoted to succeed him at Shanghai Disney.
“We have a deep bench of globally minded business leaders who bring the versatility needed to step into key roles across our diverse portfolio,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, in a statement. “These tenured leaders have extensive technical and operational expertise with strong insight and understanding of the guest experience, and possess qualities that promote innovation, creativity, and results.”
Disney Experiences continues to be, as Disney CEO Bob Iger wrote in the company’s annual shareholder letter Thursday, “the gold standard for the industry,” led by its theme parks like Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
The company has committed $60 billion to the division over the next decade, including a slew of new attractions and lands at its parks, and a doubling of its theme park fleet, which has become a floating home for Disney IP.
D’Amaro is the one leading the charge, though as Thursday’s shakeup underscores, Disney as a company is often willing to move its executives around in order to execute on its objectives.
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