It’s official. After just over a year as Disneyland Resort President, Thomas Mazloum will succeed Josh D’Amaro as Chairman of Disney Experiences. Mazloum will step into the role next Wednesday… the same day D’Amaro takes over the keys to the kingdom from Bob Iger as Disney’s next CEO.
“Thomas Mazloum is an exceptional leader with a genuine appreciation for our cast members and a proven track record of delivering growth,” D’Amaro said in an official statement. “His focus on service excellence, broad international leadership, and strong connection to the creativity that brings our stories to life make him the right leader to guide Disney Experiences into its next chapter.”
We’re not surprised Mazloum has been tapped to move up. In fact, we’ve been speculating about this possibility here on the site since shortly after Thomas was named resort president. Even though he hasn’t been President of Disneyland for very long, he previously served as President of Disney Signature Experiences, overseeing Adventures by Disney, National Geographic Expeditions, Disney Vacation Club, Aulani Resort in Hawaii, and Disney Cruise Line.
The cruise line portfolio is in the midst of a massive growth cycle, with Disney planning to expand the fleet from eight ships today to 13 by 2031. Just a few years ago, Disney had only four ships.
Before that, Mazloum served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World, overseeing the resort’s 31 hotels, Disney Springs, ESPN Wide World of Sports, and resort-wide transportation operations.
As we were publishing, Thomas posted the following statement to his LinkedIn page:
I’m incredibly grateful as I step into my new role leading Disney Experiences.
It’s a privilege to help shape what’s next for our parks, resorts, cruise line, consumer products and experiences around the world – guided by an extraordinary team with a shared commitment to creativity, excellence and people-first leadership.
I want to extend my sincere congratulations to Jill Estorino. Disneyland Resort is in wonderful hands – Jill is a fantastic leader with decades of experience across our parks around the world.
I’m also thrilled for Tasia Filippatos, who will become our President & Managing Director of Disney Parks International, and Lisa Baldzicki, who will lead Disney Consumer Products.
As Walt taught us, progress is fueled by optimism, imagination and the belief that the best days are always still in front of us. I’m proud of where we’ve been—and even more inspired by where we’re going.
Here’s to our bright future…
Who Will Take Over For Thomas?
Also on Wednesday, President of Disney Parks International Jill Estorino will become the new President of the Disneyland Resort.
In her current role, Estorino oversees Disney’s international parks and resorts, including Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disney Resort, and Tokyo Disney Resort… giving her broad experience with global park operations as she steps into the Anaheim role.
“As we look ahead, I have tremendous confidence in Thomas and Jill, along with the incredible leadership team across Disney Experiences,” D’Amaro said. “Together, they will continue to build on our momentum around the world, delivering the service, creativity and one-of-a-kind experiences that define Disney.”
A Big Promotion… and a Big Test
Mazloum’s promotion puts him in charge of Disney’s global theme parks, cruise line, consumer products, and experiential businesses… essentially half of the Walt Disney Company’s public-facing empire.
While he has only been leading Disneyland for a little over a year, the move signals strong confidence from Disney leadership in his operational style and guest-focused approach.
Just last month, I had the opportunity to meet with Mazloum at Disneyland for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of the resort. What stood out most in that discussion was his focus on cast members and operational quality… two areas that longtime Disneyland fans have increasingly raised concerns about.
The big question now is whether Mazloum will use this promotion to restore the operational standards Disney fans expect… or continue the cost-cutting strategies that have frustrated park visitors in recent years.
In recent years, there has been growing discussion about cost controls across the parks that have impacted maintenance cycles, entertainment offerings, and the overall guest experience. Those issues have been particularly visible at Disneyland, where fans tend to notice even small changes.
What We’ll Be Watching For
This leadership shake-up raises a number of interesting questions for Disney fans and industry watchers.
Will Thomas prioritize operational improvements and park quality across Disney’s global resorts? Disneyland’s recent strides in maintenance are just the start of what’s needed to bring the resort back to its previous standards… but there are other parks, like Disneyland Paris, in even greater need of operational consistency. Will Thomas be able to stretch himself far enough to ensure that all Disney parks operate at the same high standard.
During our meeting, Thomas expressed a desire to make the park experience easier and less complicated. With Lightning Lane, park reservations, Mobile Order, and increasingly difficult restaurant reservations, we hope he’ll begin to unravel at least some of the unfriendly processes that Bob Chapek and Josh D’Amaro introduced to the parks over the past five years.
Could we see changes to recent cost-cutting measures that have affected entertainment at Disneyland? While the big shows were cut by Disneyland’s previous president, Thomas has not yet reinstated major productions on Disneyland’s stages. He now has the authority to unlock the budgets and allow Jill Estorino to be the hero who brings entertainment back.
If that doesn’t happen soon, we’ll know one of two things: either Thomas doesn’t see the need… or he’s being prevented from restoring entertainment by Disney’s new CEO, Josh D’Amaro, who had a hand in eliminating many of those offerings in the first place.
How might his cruise line and Signature Experiences background influence the parks going forward? Arguably, Disney Cruise Line delivers the highest level of service and entertainment anywhere in the company. If Thomas can instill that cruise line standard across Disney’s parks and hotels, it would represent a significant improvement.
And what direction will Jill Estorino take as she steps into the leadership of Disneyland during a major expansion era? Thomas was just beginning to turn the ship around at Disneyland after years of cuts and neglect. We hope Jill continues that work. But that is far from guaranteed.
Many of Disney’s international parks operate at a noticeably lower quality standard than what Disneyland guests expect. It’s worth reminding Jill that she isn’t simply running another theme park… she is stepping into the role created by Walt Disney himself.
That’s not just an important job. It’s a rare honor that comes with enormous expectations. And it’s up to Disney fans to make those expectations very clear.
One thing is certain: with a new CEO and a new chairman of Disney Experiences taking the reins on the same day, there’s both hope and concern about the next chapter for Disney’s parks and resorts.
What do you want to see Thomas and Jill tackle first?
