Anthony Connelly, SVP and CFO of Domestic Parks and Resorts will become the new head of Cruise Line Operations. His position will be filled by Kevin Lansberry, SVP of Revenue Management and Analytics. Kevin will report to Spence Neumann, EVP/CFO, Parks and Resorts.
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Senior executive changes
- Thread starter Tim_4
- Start date
flFigment
Member
They are promoting Kevin Lansberry? I have one question WHY?? This news could not be any worse for me he needs to be fired along with Meg Crofton. I am sick of the MBA direct line ROI mentality that they keep shoving up the ladder because the true innovators and motivators leave because they cant stand working with people like this. How about they realize what makes the Disney company unique and not generic everything down so that they are just riding the coat tails of the Disney legacy. How about making a new good one.
In the words of a great Disney movie.
We want to know about the new stuff? They are asking what is new? They know about the old stuff. They want something new.
How about Disney listen to what they say and try something new and become the innovative dedication to quality company that we all know and love. The one that we all gladly go and spend tons of money at and do it willingly.
In the words of a great Disney movie.
We want to know about the new stuff? They are asking what is new? They know about the old stuff. They want something new.
How about Disney listen to what they say and try something new and become the innovative dedication to quality company that we all know and love. The one that we all gladly go and spend tons of money at and do it willingly.
OFTeric
Well-Known Member
When you go on vacation, you don't want to feel like pennies are being pinched. People take vacations to Orlando, Vegas, and on Cruise Ships to feel the "no expense has been spared" mentality. Regardless if that is true or not.
Vegas has lost a lot of it's magic since the collapse in 2008, and that is felt through the penny pinching that the big boys like MGM, SANDS etc are doing.
WDW has lost a lot of it's magic in the past 20 years due to penny pinching, where it is no longer a vacation where people marvel over how they got so much bang for their buck, instead people are beginning to ask "that's it?"
The Disney Cruise Line is currently the last portion of the company where it feels like "No expense has been spared" and my guess is that the WDC knows that, and they are coming into change that.
Vegas has lost a lot of it's magic since the collapse in 2008, and that is felt through the penny pinching that the big boys like MGM, SANDS etc are doing.
WDW has lost a lot of it's magic in the past 20 years due to penny pinching, where it is no longer a vacation where people marvel over how they got so much bang for their buck, instead people are beginning to ask "that's it?"
The Disney Cruise Line is currently the last portion of the company where it feels like "No expense has been spared" and my guess is that the WDC knows that, and they are coming into change that.
It's a CFO role. "Creative" isn't the point.
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
All of Ratatouille is a great allegory for the Disney company. I was going to try and post in another thread the scene where Skinner was asking his publicist to put Chef Gusteau's face on boxes of frozen corn dogs, but I couldn't find it.
flFigment
Member
Seeing how I am a shareholder I will say I don't enjoy the profits at the cost of the company losing what is going to differentiate the company in the long run for short term gains.
I rather have long term good to great profits than short term great profits with a huge issue sitting in the future with no way to fix it except to go back and reinvest mega money to fix it. Do it right the first time.
flFigment
Member
I agree with you to a point.
I do strongly feel that Kevin has done nothing to warrant his promotions and I also feel that Meg Crofton should have been shown the door a while ago. The cuts that have been made at WDW with raising of the ticket prices have dropped the value of the park experience to new levels. I can not believe that the company in general has allowed it to go along as long as it has. The issue is they both have the MBA mentality of the direct line ROI and direct line profit showing belief. The fact of cutting so many things that don't fall into these categories is just proof of their corporate beliefs. Not everything has a bottom line improvement but does add tot he overall experience and perceived value of the ticket prices people are paying.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
This is the same Kevin Lansberry who was responsible for the death of pleasure Island and the monorail accident.
flFigment
Member
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I agree that these aren't moves to really cheer about; just a few accountants shuffling the deck chairs, really.
But I wouldn't get too worried. These CFO roles in big companies are really just the master numbers crunchers, and they will do what they are told to do by their superiors. If they are told to save costs wherever they can find them, they'll help do that. But if they are told to allocate a staggering 1.2 Billion dollars from Burbank's coffers to remake a struggling theme park into something fabulous (DCA circa 2008-2012), they will do that too.
It's the direction they are given from their bosses that matters here; Tom Staggs as their division boss, and Bob Iger and the Board as the people who need to approve moving big sums over 100 Million from the Company coffers into their division coffers. Otherwise, I'm sure they are properly trained accountants and will follow whatever orders they are given, and keep their pencils sharp while they're at it.
And Connelly getting moved into an Ops role is par for the course for a promising executive. If that exec has always been in finance or HR or some bland cubicle division like that, it's routine procedure to move that guy into an operations role for a couple years to season him and get him "grounded" in the "core product" or whatever pukey corporate buzzwords they want to use. They are just grooming him for a bigger role elsewhere, where his 3 years of operations experience gives him more street cred. Standard procedure in most big companies, again.
But I wouldn't get too worried. These CFO roles in big companies are really just the master numbers crunchers, and they will do what they are told to do by their superiors. If they are told to save costs wherever they can find them, they'll help do that. But if they are told to allocate a staggering 1.2 Billion dollars from Burbank's coffers to remake a struggling theme park into something fabulous (DCA circa 2008-2012), they will do that too.
It's the direction they are given from their bosses that matters here; Tom Staggs as their division boss, and Bob Iger and the Board as the people who need to approve moving big sums over 100 Million from the Company coffers into their division coffers. Otherwise, I'm sure they are properly trained accountants and will follow whatever orders they are given, and keep their pencils sharp while they're at it.
And Connelly getting moved into an Ops role is par for the course for a promising executive. If that exec has always been in finance or HR or some bland cubicle division like that, it's routine procedure to move that guy into an operations role for a couple years to season him and get him "grounded" in the "core product" or whatever pukey corporate buzzwords they want to use. They are just grooming him for a bigger role elsewhere, where his 3 years of operations experience gives him more street cred. Standard procedure in most big companies, again.
asianway
Well-Known Member
You have to commit an accounting fraud and be in violation of Hawaii timeshare law to be let go by Disney.
I agree that these aren't moves to really cheer about; just a few accountants shuffling the deck chairs, really.
But I wouldn't get too worried. These CFO roles in big companies are really just the master numbers crunchers, and they will do what they are told to do by their superiors. If they are told to save costs wherever they can find them, they'll help do that. But if they are told to allocate a staggering 1.2 Billion dollars from Burbank's coffers to remake a struggling theme park into something fabulous (DCA circa 2008-2012), they will do that too.
It's the direction they are given from their bosses that matters here; Tom Staggs as their division boss, and Bob Iger and the Board as the people who need to approve moving big sums over 100 Million from the Company coffers into their division coffers. Otherwise, I'm sure they are properly trained accountants and will follow whatever orders they are given, and keep their pencils sharp while they're at it.
A CFO may be an accountant by training in some cases. Either way, a CFO's job is certainly not limited to accounting. Indeed, saying that a CFO is just an accountant shows a lack of understanding both of what CFO's do and what accountants do. A CFO, if the title is applied properly, has far more effect on strategic decisions than you give credit for here.
Describing a CFO's job as number-crunching is correct in part, because the number-crunchers generally (but not always) report to the CFO. But it is about as a correct as saying that Tom Staggs' job is managing the cruise line, because the people who run the cruise line report to him.
And saying that the CFO only does what the bosses tell them is about as a correct as saying that Tom Staggs only does what the bosses tell him. Both are correct, in that ultimately it's the CEO and the board making the decisions, but a CFO and a major division president both have significant influence on what decisions are made.
A division CFO obvioiusly has less influence than the corporate CFO, mind you, but your description of what "CFO roles in big companies" are is off.
Terrible, Terrible news. Lansberry should have been fired long ago and instead they promote him.
My biggest concern though, is DCL. DCL is the last place I can go and ENJOY the Disney experience. I see those ships, I talk about those ships, and I have PRIDE in the product. When I meet random people and talk about Disney(it happens WAY too often) I promote DCL every single time. WDW...never. As far as I'm concerned, those ships and the service are 100% Walt's Vision. They can't start chipping away at that or I won't have any love of Disney left
My biggest concern though, is DCL. DCL is the last place I can go and ENJOY the Disney experience. I see those ships, I talk about those ships, and I have PRIDE in the product. When I meet random people and talk about Disney(it happens WAY too often) I promote DCL every single time. WDW...never. As far as I'm concerned, those ships and the service are 100% Walt's Vision. They can't start chipping away at that or I won't have any love of Disney left
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Most CFOs at large corporations are extremely talented at massaging data to get CEOs to do what CFOs want, not the other way around.
