Disneyland is getting a new leader. But will that make any difference for Disneyland fans?

Disney announced last week that Thomas Mazloum will take over as the next president of the Disneyland Resort. Mazloum currently works as Disney’s president for the New Experiences Portfolio & Disney Signature Experiences. That puts him in charge of the Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club and Storyliving by Disney, which is developing the Cotino real estate project out in Rancho Mirage. Mazloum will replace Ken Potrock, who is moving on to a new position, president for Major Events Integration.

Under Mazloum’s watch, Disney Cruise Line has rebounded from the pandemic, launching two new ships. Two more will debut this year, with Disney’s fleet expanding to 13 worldwide by 2031. Disney Vacation Club has added three new properties as well, including the new Villas at Disneyland Hotel tower.

Under Potrock, Disneyland won Anaheim’s approval for the DisneylandForward land-use plan that will allow the resort to take on the kind of expansion that Mazloum’s Disney Signature Experiences group has been delivering. But how that expansion happens and what it includes will provide the standards by which fans and the community will judge Mazloum’s leadership.

The key to success in running Disneyland remains as it has since Disney Legend Jack Lindquist originated the job of resort president: be an advocate for Disneyland.

There is a strong argument to be made that The Walt Disney Co. would not have survived until today were it not for Disneyland. The park established Disney’s theme park business, which has carried the company during many years when its studio faltered. Southern California is the entertainment capital of the world and Disney’s corporate home. But it is Disneyland that defines The Walt Disney Co. for millions of people in the region.

Disneyland is the company’s golden egg-laying goose. Yet with Wall Street demanding ever-growing profits from publicly traded companies, someone needs to defend Disneyland from short-sighted analysts who would be happy to trade Disney’s future for a tasty goose dinner.

This does not mean Disney should run the Disneyland Resort as some sort of nonprofitable charity. Far from it. Disneyland enjoys its greatest commercial success when it is run by people who advocate for taking chances on big new ideas. Who advocate for innovation and creativity. Who advocate for recruiting, paying and retaining people to make that happen, from cast members in the parks to designers at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale.

Disneyland stumbles when leaders think small and look for ways to streamline and “optimize.” It also fails when leaders grow afraid of making changes that might upset fans now, but that fans will love once they see those plans come to life.

This all might seem … risky. But leadership is not gambling, it’s judgment. It’s finding and advocating for people with the vision and skills to make Disneyland better. If Thomas Mazloum can do that, then Disneyland’s future should be as successful as its first 70 years have been.

Robert Niles covers the themed entertainment industry as the editor of ThemeParkInsider.com.