Molly Murphy will join Universal Creative as its new President next month, Universal Destinations & Experiences Chairman and CEO Mark Woodbury announced today.
Murphy will start on August 14 and comes to Universal from Gensler, the same architecture, design and planning firm where Barbara Bouza worked before becoming President of Walt Disney Imagineering in 2021. Gensler also is where former WDI President Bob Weis landed after retiring from Disney last year.
"Molly has an energy and a set of proven capabilities that will further enhance our ability to deliver the most immersive stories and experiences to our guests," Woodbury said. "Our focus on expanding the Universal brand to new people, in new places and on new platforms is well underway. Her ability to blend technology with architecture, brand and design will help take our great product to even higher levels."
Murphy is an Associate Member of the American Institute of Architects and holds a Master of Architecture and MBA from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. At Gensler, Murphy was Principal and Co-Managing Director of Gensler New York, where she co-founded Gensler's Digital Experience Design practice.
"Human interaction and connection are at the heart of physical design and the delivery of compelling places," Murphy said. "Universal brings this idea to life better than anyone else, and I am looking forward to joining the team as we create authentic, lasting experiences for our guests and fans around the world."
Murphy replaces Mike Hightower, who left the company along with former Chief Creative Officer Thierry Coup in March, after taking a NBCUniversal company-wide buyout offer. Hightower replaced Woodbury, who moved up to become the head of what was then called Universal Parks & Resorts when longtime President Tom Williams retired last year.
In March, Woodbury announced Brian Robinson as the new EVP, Chief Creative Officer for Universal Creative, with Eric Parr taking on the role as SVP, Creative Studio. [See Robinson, Parr Take On New Leadership Roles at Universal Creative.]
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Hoping her arrival will bring about some announcements related to new, e-ticket attractions at USF and IOA.
Why? I mean, what’s the rush to announce?
From April: “Universal Studios' theme parks posted record earnings for a first quarter in the first three months of 2023, parent company Comcast reported today… The company's recently renamed Destinations & Experiences segment reported Adjusted EBITDA of $658 million for the three month period ending March 31, on revenue of $1.949 billion. Those numbers were an increase of 46% and nearly 25%, respectively, over the same period in 2022."
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Congrats to Ms. Murphy! The future looks bright at Universal.