Image via Fast Company
Last updated
The Walt Disney Company: Geographic Expansion
Disney is expanding D23 fan event internationally, with D23 Asia regional event set to debut in Singapore in summer 2027. Event has grown from 65,000 attendees (2013) to over 100,000+, with this year's event expanded across multiple venues in Anaheim.
Source: Fast Company
The leadership read
The Walt Disney Company's expansion resets where the leadership need sits in the sector. Standing up a new market rewards operators with local networks and a record of building from scratch. The 12-to-18-month read across Asia favours country and commercial leadership hired close to the ground.
Market context: Against a Talent Market Index of 100.4 (Neutral) (down 1.1 month-on-month), Asia is at steady (-1.3pts) on signal share.
The Walt Disney Company: 5 signals in the last 90 days; 0.3% of MitchelLake's Oceania signal flow; 5 tracked across 71 days.
Market entry — the MitchelLake playbook
When a company expands into a new market, the first leadership hires decide whether it lands. A selection of market entries we've run:
Market entry · Oceania
Square
Executive Search Fintech
Market entry
Dropbox
Executive Search for SaaS
Market entry · Asia
Deliveroo
Executive Search in ASEAN
Market entry · Oceania
SurveyMonkey
Managing Director APAC (first hire in region) / Country Manager
Market entry · Asia
LivePerson
Director ASEAN (first hire in region); also Head of Presales APAC
Market entry · Oceania
Etsy
Managing Director, Australia + Asia (MD APAC)
MitchelLake in this thematic
Also at The Walt Disney Company →
More signals across Asia
Geographic Expansion · Asia
Heidi Health →Australian digital health company Heidi Health participating in Malaysia market entry, showcasing AI and automation solutions to Malaysian healthcare providers at APHM conference.
Geographic Expansion · Asia
Alcidion →Australian health informatics company Alcidion expanding into Malaysia, showcasing patient flow and clinical decision-making platform to Malaysian healthcare providers.
Geographic Expansion · Asia
Vikram Solar →Vikram Solar inaugurated a 6 GW solar PV module manufacturing plant in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India, with plans to expand to 15.5 GW total capacity. Company announced additional plans for 9 GW solar cell manufacturing by FY2027, 12 GW by FY2028, and 9 GW wafer/ingot capacity at the same site.
Geographic Expansion · Asia
Elite Supplements →Elite Supplements, Australia's largest nutrition and supplements chain, has signed a deal to open at least 50 stores in the Philippines over the next decade.
Geographic Expansion · Asia
Brookfield →Brookfield announced a $627 million deal to enter the Japan housing market, acquiring assets across 4 urban centers.
Geographic Expansion · Asia
Accor →Accor is expanding its Fairmont luxury resort portfolio into Rishikesh, India with a 220-key property scheduled to open in 2031. This marks entry into the Himalayan wellness and spiritual tourism segment and represents part of a broader India expansion strategy including projects in Shimla Fagu, Goa, and Agra.
Where this lands in our work
- Cross-Border Expansion →
The peak executive-hiring window opens 12–18 months after an expansion commitment.
- Executive Search — Asia →
Our Asia practice runs the searches behind signals like this one.
Intelligence powered by Autonodal ↗