BackgroundName: Karl L. Holz
Birth Year: 1952
Age: 61
Nationality: American
Occupation: President, Disney Cruise Line
and New Vacation Operations
Early Life and Education
Karl L. Holz
was born in year 1952 in Hinzweiler, Germany. The Holz family immigrated to the
United States and settled in Buffalo, New York. His father died when he was at
the age of 12, therefore, he started working to help support his family
financially.
He
graduated from SUNY Fredonia as the class of 1973; and the State University of
New York at Fredonia with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Early Career
Holz have worked for years with various tourism companies,
holding high-level positions before moving on to work with Walt Disney. He was
previously the Regional Vice President for Sky Chefs Airport Concession, Inc.,
President and CEO of Concession Air, Inc. and Vice President of Theme Park
Operations at Knott’s Berry Farm in Southern California.
He
has lead several key growing businesses for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.
Journey with Walt Disney
Journey with Walt Disney
1996 –
Vice President of Downtown
Disney, Walt Disney World Resort
2000 –
Vice President of Epcot Theme
Park, Walt Disney World Resort
2001 –
Senior Vice President of Walt
Disney World Operations, Walt Disney World Resort
2003 –
President of Disney Cruise Line
2004
– President and Chief Operating Officer at Gérant, Management Company, and the
Manager of Euro Disney SCA
2005
– President of New Vacation Operations, chairman and CEO of Euro Disney SCA
Career
Holz is the current the
President for Disney Cruise Line as of February 14, 2009. He returned to
his former role due to the corporate merger of the two companies – New Vacation
Operations and Disney Cruise Line. Holz directs all cruise ships under the
Disney Cruise Line along with Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, Aulani,
and Castaway Cay, Disney's very own Private Island in the Bahamas.
He
has a major responsibility of leading more than 5,500 casts and crew, and the
entire operations of the different cruises. One of Holz’s most memorable
milestones includes sending the company’s fourth ship, the Disney Fantasy off
on her maiden voyage.
Personal Life
Having
faced financial difficulties and hardships when he was still young, Holz grew
to become a socially responsible individual. In 2011, a fund-raising effort was
made by DCL, and a total of $750,000 was donated to the Central Florida Boys
& Girls Club. In 2012, he donated $100,000 on behalf of the Disney Cruise
Line to the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, New York City. A week before that,
he presented a $250,000 cheque to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central
Florida.
Holz
is currently married to Wendy, also a former pupil of SUNY Fredonia. They had
two children – Erik and Kirsten.
Honours, Public Recognition
and Milestones
Year 2010
- Disney Cruise Line has been recognized as the No. 1 cruise experience at the Annual Readers’ Choice Awards for Condé Nast Traveler magazine in New York City
- Top Family-Friendly Large-Ship Cruise Line in the 2010 World’s Best Awards poll.
Year 2012
- No. 1 in the Large-Ship Cruise Lines for Families category in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2012, making it the 4th consecutive year to be ranked in the top spot.
Year 2013
- Disney Fantasy, earned the top honor – Best Large Ship – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
- Disney Fantasy, earned the Large Ship Best Cabins – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
- Disney Fantasy, earned the Best Entertainment – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
- Disney Fantasy, earned the Best Public Rooms – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
- Disney Fantasy, earned the Best Service – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
- Disney Dream, earned the Best Shore Excursions – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
Our Point of View
Type of Leader
Holz has a mix of different leadership style. However, he is
more of a Charismatic and Visionary leader.
Leadership Qualities
During SUNY Fredonia class of
2011 commencement, Holz shared stories and
quotes demonstrating that he exhibit strong traits of integrity,
trustworthiness, optimism, intuition and the ability to inspire others.
It was mentioned in his speech
that, “as a leader, you have to inspire people in all the right ways,” with
encouragement, trust, and by “walking in their shoes” and “challenging them and
holding them to high expectations.” He also mentioned that one should “always
conduct yourself with integrity,” “use common sense in everything you do,” and
“stay optimistic.” (SUNY Fredonia, 2011)
“Embrace every opportunity to demonstrate my worth — even when it means being really, really uncomfortable for a while.” – Karl L. Holz
In the same commencement, Holz talked about his early career before joining Disney. He mentioned that it was essential “to be flexible and willing to take risk to move ahead.” This shows that he is intuitive and is a risk-taker. In the hospitality industry, having the guts to take risks and gamble with new ideas and concepts is as important as having great service. Taking risks increases the chances of attaining a new market group which is beneficial to one’s company.
Furthermore, Holz have exhibited passion and commitment for the
Disney Family over the years he has worked with The Walt Disney Company. Not
many individuals stay in the same organization for years, but we have a leader
here that does not look for opportunities elsewhere but strive for the best
within his organization.
Lastly, who says a leader has to exhibit support only within his
company? Holz was present at the shipyard when Disney Fantasy was still under
construction at Papenburg, Germany. He was there to ensure that the structure
was up to its standards. Of course, this shows that he is supportive
both his partner and his own!
Communication
With a large number of Disney
businesses, one may assume that there would be miscommunications or perhaps
service inconsistency going on. The biggest barriers to effective communication
across the businesses would be misinterpretation, projection and environment.
The communications skills he exhibited “behind-the-scenes” have most definitely
reassure their guests the extraordinary service expected from the Disney brand.
References
Schmidt, C. (2012, April 4). Disney Cruise Line's Karl
Holz: Big man with a big heart | SILive.com. Retrieved July 1, 2013, from
SILive Web Site:
http://blog.silive.com/goofy_about_disney/2012/04/disney_cruise_lines_karl_holz_big_man_with_a_big_heart.html
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. (n.d.). The Walt Disney
Company and Affiliated Companies - Parks and Resorts Press. Retrieved June
28, 2013, from The Walt Disney Company:
http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/parks_resorts/exe_bios/karlholz.html
Disney Cruise Line News. (2010, October 13). Disney Cruise
Line Named Top Cruise Line by Readers of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine | Disney
Cruise Line News. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from Disney Cruise Line News:
http://dclnews.com/2010/10/13/disney-cruise-line-named-top-cruise-line-by-readers-of-cond-nast-traveler-magazine/
SUNY Fredonia. (2011, May 17). Class of 2011 treated to
some Disney magic > SUNY Fredonia News Services. Retrieved June 28,
2013, from SUNY Fredonia News Services: http://ww2.fredonia.edu/news/BrowseallNews/tabid/1101/ctl/ArticleView/mid/1878/articleId/3163/language/en-US/Class_of_2011_treated_to_some_Disney_magic.aspx
The Walt Disney Company. (n.d.). Disney Worldwide
Conservation Fund | The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from
The Walt Disney Company Web Site:
http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/citizenship/environmental-stewardship/disney-worldwide-conservation-fund?DisplayItem=d7c0b0be-afb1-4938-af5c-74231ee347cb
Mantai, C. D. (2011, May 24). Karl Holz, '73; President of
Disney Cruise & Vacations > SUNY Fredonia Alumni Portal. Retrieved
June 29, 2013, from SUNY Fredonia :
http://alumni.fredonia.edu/Magazine/SearchArticles/tabid/188/ID/262/categoryId/48/Karl-Holz-73-President-of-Disney-Cruise-Vacations.aspx
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