Lisa Sherman’s Post

Walt Disney World a Corporate Leader of Inclusive Excellence Over 25 years ago, in 1999, I had the honor of being commissioned by Walt Disney World to create their inaugural Black History Month Celebration poster. It was a milestone event for the company, and I remember feeling a great sense of responsibility and pride in representing the importance of African American history and culture. I vividly recall the excitement of meeting actors Danny Glover and Alfre Woodard at the inaugural ceremony. It was a momentous occasion, and Disney went above and beyond by flying my entire family to be part of this historical event. It remains one of the most celebrated occasions of my career as an artist. Reflecting on this experience, it's important to acknowledge the complex history of Walt Disney World in Florida regarding civil rights, affirmative action, diversity, equity, and inclusion. The company's journey began in the 1960s, amidst the height of the Civil Rights Movement, with Walt Disney himself known for supporting racial integration and civil rights causes. However, like many companies of its time, Disney faced challenges related to racial segregation and discriminatory employment practices. Reports surfaced of discriminatory hiring practices and limited opportunities for people of color within the company in its early years. Despite these challenges, Disney has implemented various progressive policies and initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. This includes affirmative action programs, diversity training, and the establishment of employee resource groups for underrepresented communities. Moreover, Disney has worked to ensure its theme parks are inclusive spaces for guests of all backgrounds, with representation in attractions, entertainment, and marketing materials. Additionally, diverse individuals have held leadership positions within the company, such as Bob Iger, who championed diversity and inclusion during his tenure as CEO until 2020. Overall, Walt Disney World in Florida has made progress in promoting civil rights, affirmative action, diversity, equity, and inclusion, but there is still work to be done to ensure that these values are fully integrated into all aspects of the company's operations. #WaltDisney #BlackHistory #TedEllis #DEI #CivilRights #Art

Do leaders know what this means? “Diversity and inclusion programs were abolished Tuesday from Walt Disney World’s governing district, it’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee would be eliminated, as would any job duties connected to it. Also axed were initiatives left over from when the district was controlled by Disney supporters, which awarded contracts based on goals of achieving racial or gender parity.” No one can cancel diversity. Businesses can't afford not to be inclusive. Employees, customers and shareholders are diverse. Year-on-year diverse demographic representation within all three groups is set to increase. Great minds don't all think alike. The Walt Disney Company must embrace, champion and value differences to serve an increasingly diverse consumer base. Inclusion is how employees learn to bridge their differences to create, innovate, collaborate and problem-solve together effectively. Companies must be inclusive to improve employee productivity, financial performance, job satisfaction, morale, engagement and retention. And above all their products and services! According to research by Accenture, employees are 6x more likely to innovate in environments where they feel included! Diversity and inclusion are the future of work; claiming that you are cancelling it does nothing to change this. It just makes your business less competitive. #dei #diversity #inclusion #leadership

"I am a beneficiary of the investment in diverse talent," shares The Walt Disney Company's President of Global Advertising Rita Ferro. "As a Cuban-American who grew up in Miami and didn't know anything about this industry, it's amazing how the place I loved as a kid, I now get to come to work at every single day." Watch the full interview with Rita and #LegendsandLeadership host Jack Myers below! https://lnkd.in/e6cAuCPT

Fifty-eight years ago this week, Walt and Roy Disney held a press conference in downtown Orlando to unveil their ambitious plan - the "Florida Project", which we now know as Walt Disney World.   More than half a century later, Disney continues to be an economic engine fueling Florida’s economy, jobs and tourism as shown in a new study just announced by OxfordEconomics.   📈 @Disney generated $40.3 billion in annual economic impact across the state.  💼 263,000 total jobs, or 1 out of every 32 jobs in Florida, are attributable to Disney. 🏬 #DisneyWorld works with 2,500 small businesses based in Florida.   When announcing the “Florida Project,” Walt Disney said he hoped to “build something that would command the respect of the community.”As we look to the future, Disney will continue to invest in our communities and create a brighter future for all who live, work, and play in the state. To learn more about how we’re creating positive change in Florida, visit DisneyFlorida.com.

Via our active ownership efforts, through our engagement partner, EOS, they have engaged with the Walt Disney Company, which has recognised the need to amplify under-represented voices, and the importance of accurate representation in media and entertainment. Disney has taken remarkable steps by creating two senior leadership councils focused on promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)* in their workforce and content. They're committed to advancing representation for people of colour and other diverse groups, both on and off the screen. We see this in their cinematic masterpiece, Encanto, beautifully portrays the vibrant story of a Colombian family, celebrating rich cultural diversity. But it doesn’t stop there. We encouraged Disney to set clear DEI goals and share them transparently, and we expect its content representation dashboard to provide a baseline to support this. Want to learn more about our engagement with companies like Disney? Discover our impact at Volvo, Microsoft, E.ON and many more: https://lnkd.in/d_UDx5k8 Investing puts your capital at risk. Source: EOS. *Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a framework which seeks to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people. #ActiveOwnership #CorporateResponsibility #MeaningfulChange

The wildest ride from the tenures between former The Walt Disney Company CEO, Bob Chapek and now Bob Iger who recent extended his contract till December 31st, 2026 (even though still in mid-process for finding a new CEO as him & the Disney Board have been saying for a while now). Chapek confided to a friend that his time as CEO of Disney was “about three years of hell,” overshadowed by the fear that Iger wanted his job back. Iger declined to comment for CNBC’s story, as the Disney board suggested Chapek take over Iger’s expansive office, but Iger loved the office’s private shower and wasn’t interested in moving. The Bobs “agreed” that Iger could stay and Chapek moved into a smaller office on the same floor. Chapek issued the following statement to CNBC through a spokesperson: “Bob is proud of the work he did in the course of his 30-year career at Disney, particularly during his nearly three-year run as CEO, steering the company through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, and setting the course for business transformation as he and his team took the disruptive yet necessary steps for business revitalization and long-term growth.” -> Full story down below: ⬇️⬇️ https://lnkd.in/geYJFsTX #disney #disneyparks #leadership #entertainmentindustry #entertainmentnews #businessnews #market

What are your rules for creating happy experience teams? 😁😁😁 At this week's WXO Campfire, operations expert and Disney alumni Jennifer Kloote Quick spoke about the brand’s “three-legged stool”: cast, guests, and business results. You need all three legs for the stool to balance – and operations is a crucial part of keeping your cast (or team) happy. These are Disney's 4 rules for cast member expectations – do they resonate for you? What would you add to the list? 1. Make me feel valued when I come to work. 2. Treat me as an individual. 3. Respect me.  4. Make me knowledgeable, develop me, and know my job. As Walt Disney himself said... “You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality.” For more insights from Jenni on the role operations has to play in keeping both external guests and internal teams happy, read our report on What Creatives Can Learn From Operators – link in the comments below 👇 (Thanks to all those who participated in this week's discussion, including Louise Murray, Alice Fairfax, R. Kyle Everett, Jamie Ruddy, Neil Lundberg, Alana Graber, Daniel Gomez, Sandesh Somani, Mark van der Pol, Lindsey Davis and many more!) #wxo #worldexperienceorganization #wxocampfires #experiences #experiencedesign #experienceeconomy #experienceevents #operations #creative #operationsteams #creativeteams #creativeoperations #collaboration #experienceteams #disney #disneysprings

#Disney is 100 today! All businesses can learn a lot from the Disney success story. From the humble beginnings of Walt Disney and his first character, Mickey Mouse, this global business is in the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide. Some vital business lessons have been integral to their success that all businesses can learn from. Here are some primary areas you could apply to your business. 👍Innovation and Creativity are essential. Disney continually push boundaries and create new ideas, ⭐ Build a strong brand and protect it. 👍Learnt to diversify. This mitigates risk in your business and helps you grow. ⭐Customer loyalty. They have worked hard to build and nurture their fan base 👍Great marketing. Creative marketing strategies and merchandise have been essential to the Disney brand. ⭐Strong leadership. Disney has had strong leadership over the years, with executives who understand the brand and its audience making strategic decisions to drive its success. Disney's success as a business can be attributed to its ability to consistently create high-quality, iconic content, expand into new markets, and connect with audiences on an emotional level, all while adapting to the changing landscape of the entertainment industry. #businesslessons #businesstips #businesssupport #accountantdunstable #accountantbeds #accountantluton

Want to know what life looks like post-Griffin Graduate Program? We talked with Oscar Eduardo Guillen Ortiz about his experience in The Walt Disney Company #GriffinGraduatePrograms #GraduateProgram #TheWaltDisneyCompany #CareerOpportunities #PersonalGrowth #ProfessionalGrowth

Earlier today as The Walt Disney Company held another Town Hall Meeting with Disney CEO Bob Iger, that was moderated by ABC News anchor David Muir (around this time last year is when Iger was reinstated unexpectedly as CEO of The House of Mouse) from the ousting of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek. Some of the top brass from other company execs from DMED, Direct to Consumer, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products were there today and even Iger has admitted for running the company for 15-years and stated: “I knew that there were myriad challenges that I would face coming back,” Iger said. “I won’t say that it was easy, but I’ve never second guessed the decision to come back, and being back still feels great.” Even for the theme parks and even in a previous memo and where also Iger said: “As I reflect on the immense progress we've made this year and look ahead to the many opportunities before us, I'm grateful to all of you - the people of this great company - for the tremendous work you do each and every day to ensure we continue delivering incredible entertainment for our audiences, guests, and fans all over the world." -> https://lnkd.in/gcmsx-E9 -> https://lnkd.in/gadTunAk #thewaltdisneycompany #disneycastlife #disneyworld #disneyland #disneyparks #disney100 #businessnews #businessanalysis #entertainmentnews #entertainmentindustry #disneylife #industrynews #newsupdate #newstoday #popculture