Update | Wanda poaches Magic Kingdom’s former Hong Kong chief wizard to expand its China theme parks
Wanda hired Hong Kong Disneyland’s former managing director Andrew Kam Man-ho as vice president of its Wanda Cultural Industry Group unit
Dalian Wanda Group, the shopping mall and entertainment group controlled by China’s wealthiest man, has hired the former managing director of Hong Kong’s Disneyland to help lead the expansion of the Chinese company’s theme parks across the mainland.
Andrew Kam Man-ho has joined Wanda as vice president of its Wanda Cultural Industry Group unit, the first senior hire from Disney, according to a Wanda spokesperson in Hong Kong, declining to give details.
Kam’s appointment would be a vital step in Wanda’s plan to build as many as 15 Wanda City theme parks across China to encircle Disneyland and compete for the entertainment spending of the country’s growing middle class households.
The hiring is in keeping with Wanda’s style of tapping talent from global competitors to build its own brands, said Zhao Huanyan, chief knowledge officer of Hotelsolutions, a hospitality solutions consultancy firm.
“Wanda is very good at learning from competitors,” Zhao said in Shanghai. “If Wanda wants to catch up with Disney, it needs to first know how Disney operates. So it’s wise for them to make such a move now, especially since a majority of Hong Kong Disneyland visitors are from Asia, as are those going to Wanda’s theme parks.”
Wang, whose net worth is estimated at 215 billion yuan according to the annual Hurun list of China’s wealthiest individuals, has set his sights on Disney, saying during an interview with China’s state television that he wanted to ensure the American theme park operator wouldn’t be profitable in China for 20 years.
