Dan Cockerell

Dan Cockerell is a former Disney executive who now shares his insights in order to aid others in improving performance.

Cockerell’s first experience working for Disney was as a participant in the Walt Disney World College Program in Orlando in the summer of 1989, when he worked as a front desk host at the Contemporary Resort.

Upon graduation from Boston University in 1991, Dan Cockerell moved to Florida and participated in the Disneyland Paris Management Trainee Program. In January of 1992, three months before the opening of Disneyland Paris, he was transferred to France, where he remained for five years in various management roles.

Cockerell has held various management and executive operations roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels, and was the sixth executive to hold the position of Vice President, Magic Kingdom since the park opened in 1971.

Dan Cockerell believes that building relationships is critical for leadership success, and his approachability in the workplace is a testament to his people-first philosophy.

In addition to his operational responsibilities, Cockerell has been a keynote speaker for the world-renowned Disney Institute for 18 years. He has addressed open-enrollment participants as well as attendees in customised programmes including the USAA Bank, General Motors, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Army, the Southern Methodist University Business School, Porsche A.G., and United Airlines.

He served on the board of Junior Achievement of Central Florida from 2004-18, and was Chairman in 2010.