Paul Pressler

Paul Pressler was the president and CEO of Gap, Inc. from September 2002 to 22 January 2007. [Company press release, 22 January 2007. [http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070122/sfm100.html?.v=65] ] . He took on the ailing retailer but even he was unable to turn it around. He also simultaneously departed from the position on Gap's board of directors he received in October 2002.

Pressler is a director of Avon Products. He serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Before Gap he spent 15 years with The Walt Disney Company, including stints as chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, president of Disneyland, president of the Disney Store chain and senior vice president of Disney Licensing. Before joining Disney he was vice president of design and marketing for Kenner-Parker Toys.

A New York native, Pressler received a bachelors degree in business economics from the State University of New York in Oneonta, New York.

The Walt Disney Company

The Disney Store

Pressler joined The Disney Store as president in 1993. The store opened up hundreds of new shops all over the world and was making larger profits for the company than the legendary Walt Disney Feature Animation at one point.Fact|date=April 2008 Pressler's success at the Disney Store led company CEO Michael Eisner to appoint Pressler as president of the company's flagship theme park, Disneyland, in 1994 and to lead the team developing the property into a two-park, three-hotel resort.

Disneyland/Disneyland Resort

Paul Pressler was appointed to president of Disneyland in 1994.

Beginning in 1996, Pressler oversaw a major expansion to the area that included a new theme park, Disney's California Adventure; a new hotel, Disney's Grand Californian; the remodeling of an existing hotel, Paradise Pier; a new retail, dining and entertainment complex called Downtown Disney; and a new multi-story parking area. [Disney To Build $1.4 Billion California Adventure [http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/bni/23584130] ] The new park and hotels opened in early 2001, and the entire complex was named the Disneyland Resort.

In 1996, Pressler also approved a $100 million change to one of Disneyland's attraction areas, called Tomorrowland [Disneyland to Introduce Fast Ride at $100 Million Tomorrowland [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-5582343.html] ] . This change would include several new attractions and an updated 'Jules Verne' theme for the area.

During his tenure as president the theme parks saw record profits, and various changes were made to not only the theme park's merchandise but its operations. [Disneyland Launching New Merchandising Strategy [http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/bni/24314107] ] However, many of these decisions were often criticized by various internet groups and some employees. California Adventure consistently underperformed compared to corporate and public expectations, and in November, 2007, Disney announced an over $1 billion overhaul to correct Pressler's underwhelming original park. Profits also came at the expense of maintenance as light bulbs, landscapes and fixtures went unchanged or ignored, and Disneyland had its first guest fatality due to park negligence when a mooring on the ship Columbia broke loose and slashed a park guest's head to death. But Pressler did push through a period of record profits for the Disney theme park division. However, after the events of September 11, 2001 (shortly after California Adventure opened), tourism to the resort had dropped. [Tourism Slump Puts Disney's Theme Parks on Roller Coaster [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-8773001.html] ]

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

After leaving Cynthia Harriss in charge of the brand new Disneyland Resort, Pressler was promoted to lead Disney's entire division of resorts all over the world including Disney Cruise Line, the Disneyland Resort, the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort Paris, as well as encourage negotiations with the government of Hong Kong over the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. [ [http://www.mouseplanet.com/more/mm020930.htm MousePlanet.com ] ]

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