It is not the magic that makes it work. It is the way we work that makes the magic.
Dan Cockerell is the Chief Executive Officer of Torrens Global Education Services.
He previously served as Vice-President of the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida.
He attended Boston University, graduating in 1991, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.
Upon graduation from Boston University in 1991, Dan moved to Florida and worked as a parking attendant at Disney’s Epcot Center. Subsequently, he joined the Disneyland Paris Management Trainee Program as part of the opening team and moved to France in 1992. While working in Paris, Dan held various management positions in Parking, Ticketing, Guest Relations, Food & Beverage and Human Resources.
After spending 5 years in France, Dan relocated to Florida and held a variety of executive roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels. His last 9 years with the company, he was successively Vice President of Epcot, Vice President of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and eventually Vice President of the Magic Kingdom, where he led 12,000 cast members and entertained over 20 million guests annually.
He earned his MBA in 2001 at the Crummer School of Business at Rollins College. In addition to his operational responsibilities, Dan was a keynote speaker for the world-renowned Disney Institute for 18 years. He has addressed open-enrollment participants from all over the world as well as attendees in custom programs 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 to 2018, and was Chairman in 2010.
After a fulfilling and exciting 26-year career with the Walt Disney Company, Dan and his wife Valerie made the decision to set out on a new venture and start their own consulting and speaking business for five and a half years, traveling around the world and sharing their experience and insight.
In December 2023, Dan moved to Sydney and joined Torrens Global Education Services as Co-CEO. After a year, Dan was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Torrens University Australia.
An important industry collaboration in June 2024, saw Dan appointed as an honorary Governor of the American Chamber of Commerce Australia (AmCham) in NSW.
Talking Points
The Method to the Magic
What is the difference between very good and excellent? Your customers expect to get a very good� experience every time when interacting with your product and your people. Excellent� is the next level of service that will differentiate your organization and insure that you customers return, and recommend you to others. Intent to Return is the lifeblood of Walt Disney World. Dan will discuss what he has learned about the guest experience, and what it takes to create magic.
The Method to the Magic
Culture is like the Weather
The weather is the environment that Mother Nature influences, and culture is the environment that leaders influence. If you want the best chance for success in your organization, focus on your culture. When your employees feel confident, respected, and valued, great things happen. Dan will talk about how he approached influencing the culture of the Magic Kingdom, and the 12,000 Cast Members that he led.
Culture is like the Weather
Lead Yourself First
Before you can lead your people or your organization, you need to learn how to lead yourself. This is counter intuitive, but the reality is that in order to compete at the highest levels, you need to feel good, think clearly, and bring the energy that others will respond to. Dan will share his approach on how he prepared himself to effectively lead his Magic Kingdom team.
Lead Yourself First
Video
Dan Cockerell | Saxton Speakers
Dan Cockerell highlight keynote video on leadership and customer service.We invited Dan to talk with our organization about the leadership, management, and culture-building insights and strategies from his book, HOW'S THE CULTURE IN YOUR KINGDOM, and it was one o ... keep reading Oracle Utilities
Dan's wise words memorized our team from entry level employees to veteran executives. The unparalleled experiences that Dan had to share from his 26-years with The Walt Disney Company was outstandingly received by our team. He is a true leader in every definition and the ingenuity in which he shares his lessons of leadership stays true to the heart and soul of the company he led for so many years.
