Vice President of Marketing, Disneyland Resort
Since its humble beginnings in 1928 with the creation of the Mickey Mouse character, the genius of Walt Disney has morphed into a super brand that continues to captivate the entire world. So how does Disney and its impressive collection of properties continue to reinvent itself and win over new audiences? For starters, the magic that embodies the Disney name is just that . magical. But there’s also something to be said for the talented professionals who work behind the scenes, such as Xiomara Wiley, who serves as vice president of marketing for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. Under Wiley’s watch, it hasn’t been enough to simply maintain the excellence of the brand – she’s determined to enhance it.
Wiley’s rapid advancement up the corporate ranks at Disney is more than just a product of her immense talent. Her deep-seated love for the work is a contributing factor in her success. “My passion is multicultural marketing,” Wiley explains. “Now that I am the head of marketing for Disneyland, I get to really see how effective our strategies are in terms of reaching a diverse set of people.”
Apparently, Wiley’s strategies have been extremely effective. She has been assigned an awesome task: overseeing the opening of a Disney theme park in Hong Kong. Wiley takes the additional responsibilities in stride in large part because her work with Disney stopped feeling like “work” many years ago. “I just really enjoy what I do,” she beams. “There’s no better feeling than to wake up in the morning, and actually look forward to going to the office. Not everyone can say that.” – dewayne rogers
