William Ernest (born December 16, 1950) is the former CEO of Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN) Company. He had previously had occupied the role of president and managing director, Asia, for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. He assumed this role in April 2008 and retired in early 2018 after a nearly 24-year career with Disney. Ernest was formerly the executive vice president and managing director of

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is a resort built and owned by Hong Kong International Theme Parks Limited, a joint venture of the Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the n ...

. Ernest was named to the position in January 2006, replacing Disney veteran Don Robinson. Previously, Ernest served as managing director of operations at the Hong Kong resort.

Early life and education

Ernest received bachelor's and master's degrees in hospitality management and recreational management from

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of T ...

. A high school football player, he turned down a football scholarship to attend the

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

. I was this guys roommate at SIU in 1969-70 and he claims he went to a private school that year forgoing a football scholarship. Born in Dec 1950 I guess he could have started school at 5 years old.

Career

Before joining Disney in 1994 as general manager of

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort is a Disney Vacation Club Resort and vacation rental accommodation located in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Alongside Disney's Vero Beach Resort and Aulani, the Hilton Head resort is one of Disney's ...

, Ernest opened more than 40 hotels for

Marriott Corporation The Marriott Corporation was a Hospitality industry, hospitality company that operated from 1927 until 1993. It was founded by J. Willard Marriott and Frank J. Kimball as Hot Shoppes, Inc. In 1957, it opened its first hotel in Arlington Count ...

. After the Hilton Head position, Ernest was promoted to general manager of field businesses, where he was responsible for incorporating

Disney's Vero Beach Resort Disney's Vero Beach Resort is a Disney Vacation Club resort located eleven miles north of Vero Beach in Wabasso Beach, on State Route A1A in Florida. Established in 1995, it was the first Disney Vacation Club resort to be constructed outside ...

into the company's

Disney Vacation Club The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Disney Experiences, a segment of The Walt Disney Company. It allow ...

timeshare program. He later served as general manager of

Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is a resort located within the Walt Disney World Resort. It is located in the Epcot Resort Area of Walt Disney World, close to the water park Typhoon Lagoon and is classified as a moderately priced resort. The r ...

Disney's All-Star Sports Resort Disney's All-Star Sports Resort is a resort that is part of the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of five Resorts in the Value Resort category, along with Disney's All-Star Music Resort, Disney's All-Star Movies Resort, Disney's Pop Century ...

, Disney's All-Star Music Resort and Disney's All-Star Movies Resort at

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...

and vice president of operations and support for

Disney Cruise Line Disney Cruise Line is a cruise line operation that is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The company was incorporated in 1996 as Magical Cruise Company Limited, through its first vessel ''Disney Magic,'' and is domiciled in London, Englan ...

. In 2018 he was named CEO of “Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)”.

References

External links

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Official site 1950 births Walt Disney Parks and Resorts people Disney executives Living people {{disney-stub