Louise Pentland has been appointed Chief Counsel for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, effective September 15, 2023.
Previously holding a senior legal role at PayPal, Pentland will now oversee all legal and regulatory aspects of Disney's expansive parks and consumer products division, which includes six international theme parks, a cruise line, and a global consumer products operation.
She will report to Horacio Gutierrez, Disney's Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, as a strategic advisor to the division's Chairman, Josh D'Amaro. With over two decades of legal experience in global companies, Pentland brings expertise in regulatory, compliance, and business affairs. She has also held leadership positions at Nokia and serves on several corporate and non-profit boards.
"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."
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.
"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."
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