Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

[Darkbeer]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-disney081706,0,5017405.story?coll=orl-business-headlines

Walt Disney World this afternoon will announce the new leader of the Orlando resort.

Last November, Al Weiss, who has run the organization since 1994, was promoted to oversee all Disney parks worldwide. Weiss was running the local operation in the interim but said then there would be a search for a new person to oversee the local theme parks, water parks, time shares and hotels. Walt Disney World is the region's largest employer with about 58,000 employees.

Insiders and observers have speculated that possible candidates for the job include Karl Holz, president of Euro Disney SCA and a former senior vice president of operations for Disney World; and Jim Lewis, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Club timeshares.

[Darkbeer]

Re: Disney's Orlando resort to get new leader - Orlando Sentinel, 8/17/06

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=realEstateRestaurantsHotels&storyID=nWEN4194&from=business

The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday said it has promoted 27-year Disney veteran Meg Gilbert Crofton to president of the Walt Disney World Resort.

The company also elevated 10-year Disney veteran Jim Lewis to president of Disney Vacation Club. Both Crofton and Lewis will report to Al Weiss, president of Worldwide Operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

[Darkbeer]

Re: Disney's Orlando resort to get new leader - Orlando Sentinel, 8/17/06

Meg Gilbert Crafton was Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Diversity & Inclusion for WDW prior to her promotion.

[Darkbeer]

Re: Disney's Orlando resort to get new leader - Orlando Sentinel, 8/17/06

Here is a link that has a photo of the new President of WDW

http://www.cob.fsu.edu/man/hrcenter/member_info.cfm?id=31

[Cmash95]

Re: Disney's Orlando resort to get new leader - Orlando Sentinel, 8/17/06

what does an hr person know about running a resort? besides personelle issues. and she worked for jay can you say puppet?

[OogieBoogie]

Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

I can't find anything to confirm this yet, but I'm looking. Story at: http://thedisneyblog.typepad.com/tdb/

[Hyperbole]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

Darkbeer posted the story in the News forum earlier: http://micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34606

[OogieBoogie]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

Ahh. Thanks. I didn't see it.

[almandot]

Re: Disney's Orlando resort to get new leader - Orlando Sentinel, 8/17/06

I only found one picture of her in google image search...


Is this the same woman who was trying to tell me that WDW's pirates wasn't opening? my video on VF. heh. that's funny. She wouldn't tell me her position. I still wouldn't have believed her since 4 days earlier I was getting told the same thing at Disneyland for our pirates' soft opening. ;P

[TheDisneyInquisitor]

Re: Disney's Orlando resort to get new leader - Orlando Sentinel, 8/17/06

what does an hr person know about running a resort? besides personelle issues. and she worked for jay can you say puppet?

Can we at least give her a chance? I mean what does a Disney Cruise person know about running a resort....yet Ouimet did fine. Right now, I don't know enough about her to say "That's Great!" or "That's Horrible!" so I'm going to see how it goes before I form my opinion on her. If she does a good job, great. That's all I can hope for.

[nish221]

Re: Disney's Orlando resort to get new leader - Orlando Sentinel, 8/17/06

Can we at least give her a chance? I mean what does a Disney Cruise person know about running a resort....yet Ouimet did fine. Right now, I don't know enough about her to say "That's Great!" or "That's Horrible!" so I'm going to see how it goes before I form my opinion on her. If she does a good job, great. That's all I can hope for.

Actually, quite a lot. A Cruise ship is in a way a "mini" resort with shows and
attractions. (no rides of course). Yes, there are quite a lot of differences as well.
But the differences are no where as great as comparing HR to running a park.
(although I completely agree that HR is a critical element, it's really pretty
far from the 'show').

Now that's not to say that Ms. Crafton will be good or not, but IMHO I'll take
Mr. Grier anyday (who has both Operations and Park manager experience.)

But maybe she'll have decent people underneath her who can run the various
parks. (Like Greg Emmer for DL). One never knows.

[TDLFAN]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

Oh goodie. A new person to blame for the MK's lack of cleanliness and upkeep!

[Jessicalover]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

Oh goodie. A new person to blame for the MK's lack of cleanliness and upkeep!

Let's hope this will spark a change there. I am glad that someone that is from the east coast has been promoted to the post especialy someone who's home is central Florida. Maybe they remember what once made WDW so special. I hopes this mean that Meg will visit (frequently) the park and see the truth of what is going on there.:yea:

[tloolgb]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

worldwide Human Resources, Operations and Sales

So besides this slightly uh...empty report on her past now we need the real info. Who is she? Where has she worked? When was she there?

[TDLFAN]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

Let's hope this will spark a change there.

It won't. This woman will have to have balls to prove herself against the bosses who placed her there... or else, I anticipate her to be just another rubber stamp for the bigger wigs above her. But let's hope I am wrong about her.

[JiminyCricketFan]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

She does not need experience for that position. She just has to do everything that Al Weiss tells her to do. It is a cunning move for Al. You just pick an inexperienced person to run the largest and most complex resort that Disney has. She will need LOTS of help, so Al will step in to "lend a hand." If he hired someone who had run another resort, they would not nearly want Al's "guidance." Al is a cagey person.

[WDW1974]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

She has nil park ops experience and I don't care how good she was in HR, that's like saying a hockey player would be a great baseball player. Two different things. She may have been great in HR, but what does she know about running an operation like WDW?

It is in no way like comparing Matt going from DCL to DL. None at all. As a matter of fact, the ONLY part of TWDC to not lose its premium status during the disasterous days of the late 90s and early 00s was DCL.

This has all the earmarks of a Jay Rasulo puppet hire. Another exec he can rule and count on for support no matter how insipid his ideas (like say the Year of a Million Free Churros, FastPasses and Grumpy pins) unlike a free thinker like Ouimet. Someone respected in Glendale ... someone with Bob Iger's ear as well as John Lasseter's and Tony Baxter's.

I do find it interesting that the O-Sentinel would link an imbecile like Karl Holz with the position, even if he is one of Jay's best minions. He's not doing a good job in Paris, he personally caused a major rift with the Chinese delegation when they were visiting DLP last spring and is just ... well, more of a WalMart caliber human being (I'm being very kind here.) I think his name was 'placed' in that story to help prop him up in Paris until the 15th Anniversary is over.

I doubt very much that Al Weiss had much impact on this. No, this is Jay's baby all the way ... remember that Al is basically Jay's top puppet (a role he's been so good at during his decade of devastation as WDW Prez).

Why Bob keeps Jay is the question burning in my mind.

Maybe Bob just feels comfortable with Jay heading parks. I don't know how judging by all the disasters on his watch, maybe he's just a 'fall guy' for Bob ... someone to take the heat when people notice that DL's 50th is long past and the only 'new' thing on the horizon is the old subs redressed and way over budget, someone to take the heat when the legit media finally starts writing about some of the thing that have gone down at WDW in terms of quality, cleanliness and upkeep, someone to take the heat for the idiots running DLP, someone to take the heat for the seemingly endless blunders TWDC has made in China. ... I don't know. It's scary, but I really think Paul Pressler was a better parks head. At least he understood the retail part of the business. I'm convinced Jay understands nothing.

[WDW1974]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

So besides this slightly uh...empty report on her past now we need the real info. Who is she? Where has she worked? When was she there?

I know a fair amount of folks in WDW's ranks, as well as in Burbank and Glendale.

Not one person could tell me anything substantial about her.

Hell, I don't even think I've ever met her and in 27 years at WDW, she SHOULD have met me .

So, the more I hear (or don't hear) the more I see her as Jay's latest puppet to go with Ed in Anaheim, Karl in Paris and Bill in HK.

[Cmash95]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

here is the substantial that anyone needs to know . she worked for jay so i agree it's someone else he can pull the strings of. I know bob is trying to deal with the fewest people possible reporting directly to him but this whole situation with the parks is rather sad. the actual resort heads having very little or no say in what goes on at their resorts. no wonder matt got fed up. I do feel though that DL is going to suffer more than WDW because they have to deal with lassitter who seems to think that DL is his own personal playground and if you think the subs are going to be over budget, just wait till midway madness gets going. I knew it was a bad idea agreeing to him being a creatinve consultant for wdi.

[Darkbeer]

Re: Breaking News: Disney announces new President of the Walt Disney World Resort

Here is an interesting article from the Orlando Sentinel....

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-clarke1806aug18,0,4755304.column?coll=orl-business-headlines

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that Meg Crofton has accepted the toughest job in town.

She was named the new chief of Walt Disney World on Thursday, and she comes packing a solid background -- some operational experience and lots of HR, a plus if you're managing nearly 58,000 employees.

Still, when I think of all that Crofton inherits, it seems staggering. Being Mickey's boss is the biggest job in Orlando -- indeed, one of the biggest in the whole tourism industry.

But it's surely one of the most challenging, too.

Crofton replaces Al Weiss, who got a bump up last year to oversee Disney's parks worldwide. She'll be responsible for the biggest and best performing of all of Disney's resorts -- and you can bet that the folks at the Burbank HQ will be keeping tabs.

First, the good news: Orlando is a money machine. The resort had a 7 percent attendance gain in the last quarter and hotel occupancy of 92 percent -- both excellent returns during a difficult time for the tourism industry.

And there have been two huge successes lately: The Magical Express airport shuttle service, which is effectively keeping visitors on Disney property and away from the competition; and the Magic Your Way ticket packages that encourage longer stays. Both have boosted revenue.

But how does she top all that? Rest assured, Disney honchos aren't going to be happy with the status quo. They will expect a continued -- and ever larger -- river of money flowing from Orlando to go to the corporate bottom line.

Crofton will have to keep things growing at a time when the economy is slowing, gas prices are rising and her customers -- especially the international ones -- may be afraid to get on planes.

You can add to that mix hurricanes, which have hurt Florida tourism generally; and the issue of park safety, since two people have died after riding Epcot's Mission: Space.

And did I mention the struggle that every attraction has to keep rides and shows relevant under increasingly tight-fisted financial conditions?

Crofton isn't yet well known in the Orlando local community. And she succeeds the very well-known Weiss, who in recent years has increased Disney's presence in the downtown business community. Of course, she can fix this quickly by getting involved on more local boards.

More challenging may be that Crofton is taking on her role with Weiss staying in Orlando. That's made some people wonder how much Weiss will remain involved in decisions regarding the Orlando resort.

That's not a bad thing, necessarily. In fact when I asked Crofton about Weiss, she said having him in Orlando was an "upside" and that she is "grateful Al is still here."

Indeed, the two have skills that complement each other. But will she have the freedom to run her own show? Maybe it was just a coincidence, but Weiss popped to the microphone to answer a few of the questions directed at Crofton during the news conference that announced her arrival.

We'll see how Crofton fares in what is one of the most important -- and difficult -- jobs in town.

Looks like at least one person in the press thinks that she might be a puppet hire.....