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Thread: Kalogridis Named President, WDW Resort; Crofton to focus on all US, Europe Operations

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    Kalogridis Named President, WDW Resort; Crofton to focus on all US, Europe Operations

    There are a lot of changes coming to the executive leadership at Disney Parks & Resorts, effective February 1.

    • Meg Crofton will drop half of her dual role and focus on her duties as President of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Operations for U.S. and France.
    • Picking up the role of Walt Disney World Resort President that Crofton leaves behind is Disneyland Resort President George Kalogridis.
    • Michael Colglazier will leave his role as Disney's Animal Kingdom Vice President to become President of the Disneyland Resort.
    • Not mentioned in the press release, but filling Colglazier's former role at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be Josh D'Amaro, currently head of Adventures by Disney.
    • Claire Bilby, who filled in on short notice as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Vacation Club after the abrupt dismissal of Jim Lewis, will be moving overseas to assume a position as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Disneyland Paris and Europe.
    • With the moves of D'Amaro and Bilby, the combined role of Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Vacation Club and Adventures by Disney will be filled by Ken Potrock, who has been Senior Vice President of Disney Sports Enterprises and Downtown Disney in Florida.
    • Also not mentioned in the press release, Potrock's position will be filled by Tom Wolber, currently Senior Vice President of Disney Cruise Line.
    • There's no word yet on who will fill Wolber's current position.



    Key Leadership Changes Announced at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

    George A. Kalogridis Named President of the Walt Disney World Resort and
    Michael Colglazier Named President of the Disneyland Resort;
    Meg Crofton to Focus on Her Role as President, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, U.S. and France

    BURBANK, Calif. (Jan. 9, 2013) Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Tom Staggs today announced key leadership changes across one of the worlds leading providers of family travel and leisure experiences to better position the organization for growth. Effective Feb. 1, Meg Crofton will fully assume her global role as president, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, U.S. and France a position she has held since July 2011 while concurrently serving as president of Walt Disney World. With Megs transition complete, George A. Kalogridis is named president of the Walt Disney World Resort, and Michael Colglazier is named president of the Disneyland Resort. Both Kalogridis and Colglaziers roles are also effective Feb. 1.

    With all that we currently have in flight across our resort destinations in the U.S. and France, the time is right to move forward with this leadership transition, said Staggs. This group of Disney veterans has the knowledge and expertise needed to continue delivering on our legacy of creating unforgettable experiences that our guests have come to know and expect. I would like to thank Meg for her tireless devotion and the extraordinary contributions serving in both positions, and wish George and Michael the best of luck in their new roles. They both bring a wealth of operational expertise, leadership and passion to these roles, which will contribute to the success of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

    With the appointment of a Walt Disney World president, Crofton will focus all of her attention to providing strategic oversight of the broader initiatives that impact Disney destinations in the U.S. and France.

    Kalogridis brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise to his new role at Walt Disney World, including more than 40 years of experience at Disney parks in a number of positions around the world. Most recently as president of the Disneyland Resort, he oversaw one of the most extensive expansion projects in the Resorts history -- including the immensely successful transformation of Disney California Adventure. Throughout his career, Kalogridis also has proven himself to be a leader in the travel and leisure industry, as well as a respected partner in the community.

    For the last several years, Colglazier has served as head of Disneys Animal Kingdom where he has been instrumental in the planning and development of an Avatar-themed land. He brings more than two decades of wide-ranging experience to his new role at the Disneyland Resort, including leadership positions in Operations, Global Development, Operations Strategy and Technology and Strategic Planning.

    The company also announced several other corresponding changes. As part of the organizations approach to providing new opportunities and challenges to leaders, each of these transitions is designed to give seasoned executives the opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the segments diverse businesses and operations around the world.

    Claire Bilby will relocate to Paris as senior vice president, Sales and Marketing Disneyland Paris and Europe, reporting to Leslie Ferraro, executive vice president of Global Marketing and Sales and Philippe Gas, CEO of Euro Disney S.A.S. Bilby has held a variety of executive positions around the world, including several in sales and marketing, and most recently she has been instrumental in leading the Disney Vacation Club business, making it a priority to deliver an exceptional experience to the more than 175,000 Member families.

    As a result of Bilbys new position, Ken Potrock has been named senior vice president and general manager, Disney Vacation Club and Adventures by Disney, reporting to Karl Holz, president of New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line. Throughout his Disney career, Potrock has been a leader in a wide array of Parks and Resorts businesses, and has become known as a creative catalyst with deep experience in marketing and operations. Most recently leading both the sports and Downtown Disney organizations, his leadership abilities have been apparent with the sports business and the unprecedented growth of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.

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    Self-proclaimed Diz nut TinaMouse's Avatar
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    I will fill Wolber's current position! LOLOLOL!! Big changes, indeed! I always wondered how Crofton could possibly do as much as her titled indicated.

    Working hard for that next WDW trip!

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    Registered User Teddi's Avatar
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    Disneyland will miss George K. I wonder if he'll already been in FL as of Feb 1st. However, if indeed there is a focus on improving WDW and seeing them transition through NextGen, I think George will be up to the job. Honestly, I think from a corporate perspective he gets flying colors for his handling of DCA ReLaunch.

    Teddi ~ Wife to Rob. Mom to Bert 14, Chloe & Kaylie 9
    1st trip to WDW 2013: Jan 28-Feb 6 Cabins@ Fort Wilderness & Villas @ AKL Kidani
    2013 May 11 - 18, Boardwalk Inn CL, Great-Grandma's 1st trip
    DLR 2013: Feb 20-22: DLH, April 2-4: offsite June: 18-22, Paradise Pier
    2014: DLR May 24 - 27, Paradise Pier

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