As part of the new leadership team being rolled out for Disney Parks and Resorts, Thomas Mazloum has been named the new President of Disney Signature Experiences. Mazloum will oversee Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, and Adventures by Disney, so we decided to dive a little into his background and see what we can expect from the new head of DVC.
Thomas Mazloum began his career with Disney in 1998 as the hotel director for Disney Cruise Line. During his time in this position, he was part of the launch of the Disney Wonder and directed day-to-day operations. In 2000, he moved into the position of General Manager of Food, Beverage, and Special Events for EPCOT in Walt Disney World.
Mazloum left Disney in 2002 to join the team at Crystal Cruise Line / Crystal Cruises as Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, a position he would hold for seven years. He then rose to Executive Vice President of Operations in 2009 and was named the companies Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2013.
Crystal Cruise Lines is considered one of the industry’s luxury lines, priding itself on a high level of customer service and comfort for its passengers. During Mazloum’s tenure with the company, they experienced enormous growth that culminated in a $550 million acquisition in 2015 to Genting Hong Kong.
Mazloum returned to Disney in 2017 and assumed the role of Senior Vice President of Resorts at Walt Disney World, where he remained until this promotion. He has also recently been a member of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force, tasked with developing the successful and safe reopening of theme parks and tourism in the Orlando area.
In looking into how we may expect Mazloum to lead DVC, DCL, and ABD, I found a few key takeaways from a speech he gave at the 2019 Disney Institute Customer Experience Summit insightful. During the conference, he had the following to say:
“You can’t successfully influence anyone else unless you’re willing to lead by example. People love to work for leaders who are not afraid to admit mistakes and embrace vulnerability, as it is a sign of strength.”
All in all, it is hard to find any flaws in the companies decision to move Thomas Mazloum into this position. His resume seems to indicate he has a very good understanding of how to run these luxury business entities in Disney’s portfolio.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments! Are you happy with this choice? Do you think we will see good things related to DVC, DCL, and ABD with Mazloum at the helm?
