George Kalogridis officially new Disneyland President

Congrats to George Kalogridis, the new President of the Disneyland Resort. We heard last week that he was the lead candidate, now it’s his chance to go out and put a shine on the crown jewel of Walt Disney’s theme parks.

Word went out this morning in an official email from Al Weiss to all Walt Disney Parks & Resorts employees.

I am pleased to announce that George Kalogridis has been promoted to President, Disneyland Resort, reporting to me. He will begin his new role effective immediately.

George has more than 38 years of Disney leadership and operational expertise. During his tenure with Disney, George held numerous executive positions throughout Parks and Resorts. For the past three years, he served as the Chief Operating Officer for Disneyland Paris, where he was responsible for leading the operations team and executing the highly successful 15th anniversary celebration.

Prior to that, as Vice President, Travel Operations, Walt Disney World, he developed and implemented strategies that drove four years of increased business results, which included the implementation of the new Magic Your Way booking process. From 2000 – 2002, during a period of significant growth at the Disneyland Resort with the opening of Disney’s California Adventure and Downtown Disney, George led the Disneyland Resort operations team as Senior Vice President, Resort Operations. As Vice President, EPCOT, during the Millennium Celebration, George negotiated numerous sponsorships for the celebration and brought in 24 country commitments to participate in the one-year event. In addition to his park operations and sales experience, George was General Manager, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Vice President, Walt Disney World, Human Resources and one of the original Cast Members on the Disneyland Paris development team in 1988. George began his career as a busboy at the opening of the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World.

In his new role, George’s primary focus will be to drive and deliver an outstanding Guest experience, support and develop our Cast, and continue to build external relationships in the community. Reporting to George will be:

* Jon Storbeck, Vice President, Disneyland Park
* Mary Niven, Vice President, Disney’s California Adventure Park and Guest Services
* Tony Bruno, Vice President, Resorts and Downtown Disney
* Jason Kirk, Director, Operations Support

I am pleased that the strong bench strength within our organization has allowed us to make a seamless transition in filling this senior leadership position. George’s operational expertise and strong leadership skills will serve him well in leading the Disneyland Resort during this time of major growth with the continued expansion of Disney’s California Adventure. Like the Disneyland Resort leadership team, George shares the same pride and commitment to ensuring the success of the Resort and continuing the 54-year legacy of creating magical moments and delivering exceptional Guest service.

George and his partner will be relocating to Southern California in the next few weeks.

Please join me in congratulating George on his new role and welcoming him back to the Disneyland Resort.

Here’s to you George. Let’s create our own little knock-down list for George to check out as he arrives back in Anaheim. Where should he put his focus first?