The Walt Disney Company has announced the hiring of Louise Pentland as the Chief Legal Counsel for the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products division. The hiring comes at a time when Walt Disney World finds itself embroiled in two legal battles – one against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and one against his hand-picked Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors. Here’s the announcement:
Louise Pentland has been named Chief Counsel for the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), effective September 15. Pentland, who previously served as Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer at PayPal, will report to Horacio Gutierrez, Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of The Walt Disney Company, and act as a strategic advisor to Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and his executive leadership team.
In this role, Pentland will oversee all legal and regulatory matters for the segment’s businesses, including six theme park-resort destinations in the United States, Europe and Asia; a top-rated cruise line; a popular vacation ownership program; an award-winning guided family adventure business; and Disney’s global consumer products operations, which include the world’s leading licensing business across toys, apparel, home goods, digital games and apps; the world’s largest children’s print publisher; and the shopDisney e-commerce platform.
“Louise Pentland is a highly accomplished legal executive with more than two decades of experience serving at the highest levels of innovative global companies,” said Gutierrez. “Her broad expertise working with complex business, regulatory and compliance matters around the world and her track record as an exemplary leader make her a superb addition to the leadership team at Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.”
“This is an exciting time to join The Walt Disney Company and I’m honored to be part of a business that brings so much joy to people across the globe – myself included,” said Pentland. “I’ve long admired Disney Parks’ reputation as a global leader in tourism and consumer products, along with its exceptional history of innovation and growth, and I’m looking forward to taking on this role and helping advance the organization’s ambitious goals for the future.”
At PayPal, Pentland served most recently as EVP, Chief Business Affairs and Legal Officer, and was responsible for the company’s global People, Legal, Communications, Intellectual Property, Government Relations and Social Innovation functions, with oversight over all financial, regulatory and legal requirements worldwide. She led stakeholder engagement to promote PayPal’s reputation globally through corporate affairs initiatives and oversaw the company’s People function, including diversity and inclusion initiatives, workforce planning, employee relations, compensation, benefits, leadership excellence, culture, pro-bono initiatives and ESG.
Prior to PayPal, Pentland was Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Nokia Corporation, where she directed the company’s legal and government affairs functions, M&A and IP management, for which her team was named Europe’s most innovative in-house legal team by the Financial Times in 2011.
Pentland has served as a member of Hitachi Ltd.’s Board of Directors since 2015, Pacific Life’s Board of Directors since 2020 and Experian PLC’s Board of Directors since 2022. Additionally, she was named to the Board of Directors of the non-profit Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA) in 2021.
Pentland holds an undergraduate law degree from Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Northumbria University. Pentland is licensed to practice law in the U.S., England, Wales and Europe.
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