Ken Potrock, President of Major Events Integration at The Walt Disney Company, has announced his retirement after nearly 32 years with the company. Potrock shared the news on LinkedIn, confirming he’ll stay on through Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles before officially stepping away in February.
Potrock’s Disney career began in 1995, when he helped launch Disney Cruise Line, an industry the company had never entered before. From there his path took him through ESPN Wide World of Sports, Disney Vacation Club, and Disney Consumer Products, before he was named president of Disneyland Resort, a role he held through what he described as some of the resort’s hardest days and some of its best. Most recently, Potrock stood up Disney’s Major Events Integration team, where he helped shape the company’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, its first Super Bowl hosting role in 20 years, and early preparations for Mickey Mouse’s 100th anniversary celebration.
In his announcement, Potrock credited the people he worked alongside throughout his career, saying every chapter was built by people who cared more than they had to. He said he plans to travel with his wife Susanne after February, spend more time with his two sons, and is even considering enrolling at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, joking that his first job selling Gallo wine may have been telling him something all along.
Our Take: Potrock’s fingerprints are on an unusually wide swath of the Disney experience, from the cruise line’s earliest days to leading Disneyland Resort through the pandemic and its recovery. Choosing to stay through Super Bowl LXI before stepping away says a lot about how he’s approached the job the whole way through. We’ll be watching for word on who takes over Major Events Integration as Disney’s 250th anniversary and Super Bowl plans move forward.
Ken Potrock Announces Retirement From The Walt Disney Company After 32 Years
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