Louise Pentland
Executive Vice President & Chief Counsel
The Walt Disney Company and Disney Experiences
I am the Advisor to the Chairman of Disney Experiences and Chief Counsel to The Walt Disney Company Global. I managing a global team of ~400 people, including employees in our joint venture companies in China and Japan.
Every day I’m amazed by the passion and commitment of DIsney employees.
Not surprisingly, much of my time is spent in meetings – in part to strategize and advance our important work but I am also hyper-focused on my team and what they need to effectively do their jobs. In fact, I try to be more of a partner than a “boss”, and work to understand how I can help remove roadblocks or drive to solutions. I feel very fortunate that I have an incredibly capable team so I try to focus my energy on how best to create an environment where everyone can learn and thrive.
In my early years, I was on track to become a professional ballerina. Ultimately, I decided to pursue law given the stability it would afford me. I’ve held a number of roles since, but I’m most passionate about the pro-bono work I do for immigrant children. In fact, I helped build a Legal pro-bono program when I worked at PayPal because I believe everyone has a set of skills they should leverage to give back to their communities.
My hope is that my future is full of happiness and good health, which in turn will allow me to focus on the things I hold a great passion for – advocating for diversity and equality, and being a great role model for my daughter!
I spend as much time as I can with my family and especially my daughter. It’s been important that I set a positive example for her, and demonstrate that she can achieve anything she wants – if she puts in the work. Running is part of my everyday routine. For me, it’s not only an important, healthy habit, but it also provides me with time to think, reflect, and recharge.
“I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. “ - Ruth Bader Ginsburg