After several weeks full of excitement and emotion, the suspense is over for the three finalists of the Disneyland Paris Ambassador Selection. Carmen Lleo Badal (Contact Center) and Quentin Rodrigues (Show & Ride Engineering) will have the honor of representing Disneyland Paris in 2022-2023! This period promises to be full of exceptional moments, including the celebration of the resort’s 30th Anniversary!
The history of the Ambassador Program began in 1965, when Walt Disney was extremely busy celebrating the 10thAnniversary of Disneyland Resort. He chose to have Cast Member Julie Reihm represent the Company to showcase Cast Members’ numerous talents and to participate in internal and external media and charity events. At Disneyland Paris, when it opened in 1992, Sabine Marcon was named the first Ambassador of the Resort. Since then, Ambassadors have continued to play a prominent role in each of the Disney destinations, carrying on the tradition and Walt Disney’s desire to share the magic around the globe.
During the selection process, candidates completed several interviews with a panel of Cast Members from different divisions, as well as workshops on various topics, such as public speaking and creating content for social media. With their dynamism, radiant personalities and communicative positiveness, Carmen and Quentin won over the members of the juries and will be the next Ambassadors of Disneyland Paris.
Originally from Castellón de Plana in Spain, Carmen says: “For me, Disneyland Paris is above all my family story. My parents are also big fans of the resort, and we used to come here very regularly. Working at Disneyland Paris was more than a dream, it was the logical next step in my career, and today, even my little brother works as a Cast Member during the high seasons!”
Carmen joined the company in 2011, first during the high seasons in Food & Beverage, notably at Plaza Gardens Restaurant, and as an Attraction Hostess at flagship attractions such as The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Peter Pan’s Flight, giving her an excellent knowledge of Park Operations. With a Bachelor degree in Education, she nevertheless wished to take a more artistic path, putting her creativity at the service of event management and evolving in this field in the United States. Since 2018, Carmen has been working for the digital teams in the Contact Center, where she exchanges daily with future Guests to inform them and help them prepare for their stay, sharing the magic and desire to come to Disneyland Paris.
Quentin, originally from Yvelines, holds a dual degree in Engineering, part of which he completed at the University of California, Berkeley. Having a six-month experience as an Attraction Host at Walt Disney World Resort in 2015, he joined the Show & Ride Engineering teams at Disneyland Paris as a Mechanical Engineer in 2018. His mission is to improve all of the Resort’s attractions and show equipment to provide an optimal experience for our Guests.
“Disneyland Paris is the company that made me want to become an Engineer. I knew that I wanted my work to contribute the emotions felt by our Guests. I’ve always been very curious, and when I was younger, I wanted to understand how the attractions at Disneyland Paris worked.”
Becoming Disneyland Paris Ambassadors is a dream come true for both. Showcasing the wealth of talent and diversity of Cast Members is very important to them, and diversity and inclusion, key values at Disneyland Paris, are extremely important. Carmen and Quentin will continue their actions with the Disney VoluntEARS, of which they are already active members.
The members of the Executive Committee would like to thank Giona Prevete for his commitment as 2019-2021 Ambassador. A training and transition period will allow Giona to accompany Carmen and Quentin for the upcoming months. The next Ambassadors will officially take office on January 1, 2022.
The Comittee also sends its most sincere congratulations to the finalist of this 2022-2023 Ambassador Selection, wishing her a successful career at Disneyland Paris.