France: Natacha Rafalski Appointed New President of Disneyland Paris

Yesterday, Disneyland Paris confirmed the appointment of Natacha Rafalski as new President of the European theme park complex this week, effective immediately. The native Canadian succeeds former Disneyland Paris President Catherine Powell, who has already been serving as President of the “Disney Parks Western Region” division since March this year, overseeing the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando/Florida, Disneyland Resort in Anaheim/California and Disneyland Paris.

Rafalski started her career at Disney in 1995, first in the field of corporate treasury and finance. From 2013 until 2017, she held the role of Chief Financial Officer at the Walt Disney Company Greater China, headquartered in Shanghai. Then she joined the Disney team in Paris, also serving as CFO for the theme park resort.

“It is a very exciting time for Disneyland Paris as we continue to transform our organization and move forward with the expansion of our resort. Natacha has proven to be an exceptional leader with a global viewpoint who has the versatility and experience needed to lead the continued success of Disneyland Paris,” comments Catherine Powell.

In her new role, Natacha Rafalski is leading a team of about 16,000 employees, working at the two related theme parks, eight hotels, a golf course and at the Disney Village entertainment and shopping destination. Per year, the resort welcomes approx. 15 million visitors from France and abroad, according to official park figures. Read more about the expansion plans for Disneyland Paris in our special feature “Disney is Powering On” in EAP issue 3/2018. (eap)