Mark Woodbury to become President and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts in March; Tom Williams retires

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Nov 19, 2021

Universal parks and complexes announced today that the Vice President Mark Woodbury, who is also currently President of Universal Creative, will become President and CEO of the division upon retirement from the current CEO Tom williams.

33-year-old Universal Parks veteran Williams will retire on March 16, 2022. Woodbury, who himself has more than three decades with the NBCU Parks, will assume the role of CEO effective January 1, 2022. He will report directly to Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, as Williams now does.

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“Mark has a unique and essential insight into everything that makes Universal Parks & Resorts successful,” Shell said in a statement. “Beyond his ability to create incredibly innovative customer experiences, he has extensive experience in strategy, finance, Universal Parks brand management and more. He also played a key role in planning the future of Universal Parks & Resorts. All of this makes him perfect for this role.

2020 has been a tough year for theme parks, of course, but the NBCU parent Comcast announced a strong recovery in the third quarter earnings end of October. The revenues of the parks unit have almost doubled compared to the 2020 period decimated by the Covid, gaining from $ 1.1 billion to $ 1.4 billion. The parks division’s adjusted EBITDA was $ 434 million in the quarter, including pre-opening costs related to Universal Beijing Resort. The prior year quarter recorded an adjusted EBITDA loss of $ 174 million.

As Vice President, Woodbury has been responsible for all planning and design strategy for Universal Parks & Resorts worldwide. And in his role as President of Universal Creative, he has led the design and creation of all Universal Ride Experiences, Theme Grounds, Destination Hotels, CityWalk Entertainment Complexes, and Theme Parks. Most recently, Woodbury oversaw the creation of Universal Studios Beijing.

Williams was part of the team that in 1988 opened Universal Studios Florida. he became president of the park in 1990 and transformed Orlando with several parks, hotels and an entertainment complex. He was appointed President and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts in 1999 and has continued to lead the expansion around the world with destinations in Osaka, Singapore and Beijing.

“Tom’s journey has been Parks himself,” said Brian Roberts, president and CEO of Comcast Corporation. “His vision and leadership have made Parks a vital and vibrant company and helped define modern theme park entertainment for us and for the industry as a whole. “

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