PayPal and Disney Have Joined Forces, But It’s Not What You Think
PayPal and Disney have joined forces, but it’s not the kind of partnership fans might expect.
On Tuesday, The Walt Disney Company announced the hiring of a new Chief Counsel for Disney’s Parks, Experiences, and Products division. Louise Pentland previously served as Chief Business Affairs and Legal Counsel at PayPal and will begin her tenure at Disney on September 15. Disney says Pentland will serve as a strategic advisor to Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of the division, and his executive leadership team.
Disney made the announcement about Pentland on its website on Wednesday, saying:
Pentland will oversee all legal and regulatory matters for the segment’s businesses, including six theme park resort destinations in the United States, Europe, and Asia, a top-rated cruise line. a popular vacation ownership program, an award-winning guided family adventure business, and Disney’s global consumer products operations, which include the world’s leading licensing business across toys, apparel, home goods, digital games, and apps, the world’s largest children’s print publisher, and the shopDisney e-commerce platform.
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“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 Horatio Gutierrez, Senior Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “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.”
“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.”
At PayPal, Pentland was most recently Executive Vice President, 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 promoted PayPal’s reputation around the world through corporate affairs efforts and worked within the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, among other areas.
Before she joined PayPal, Pentland served as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Nokia Corporation. Her efforts ultimately named her team as Europe’s most innovative in-house legal team by the Financial Times in 2011. She has also worked for Hitachi, Pacific Life, and Experian.
Pentland holds an undergraduate law degree from Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from Northumbria University.
