Gabrielle Rogers' dream start in travel with Disney

When three different managers, who she had worked with during the internship, messaged to encourage her to apply for an account executive role, it felt like a “no-brainer”, even though being offered the job would mean relocating to London. Now Gabrielle works 100% on Disneyland Paris, managing fam trips, trade communications, trade inbox queries and incentives.

After starting last September, by February she was trusted to lead a group of 30 high potential sellers to experience the flagship new Disneyland Hotel Paris. “The encouragement you are given at Disney really allows you to flourish,” she says. “And it’s been exciting to see the weekly reports showing the increase in sales in regions where we hosted agents.”

Workplace belonging

Trade isn’t the only area where Gabrielle has made an impact at Disney. She’s become events committee lead for a Disney Enabled BERG (Business Employee Resource Group), a voluntary employee-led group fostering inclusivity in the workplace. She’s arranged in-house talks from George Webster, the first presenter on CBeebies with Down’s Syndrome, and neurodivergent activist, Ellie Middleton. She also helped organise a two-day expo that celebrates everything being done across Disney to foster inclusivity and to share best practice. “One of the perks of working for Disney is complimentary park tickets and there are lots of staff who will have relatives with disabilities they can take and they might not be aware of all the services we offer,” she says.

There’s real passion motivating these efforts. Gabrielle was born with cerebral palsy, after she had a stroke in the womb, and the left side of her body was left with mobility issues. She describes it as mild, but was subject to comments in school and still has physio to this day. “With my personal experience, I’m keen to help workplaces understand the challenges,” she says. “And everyone at Disney is so engaged in celebrating diversity.” Ultimately, this is the career path she wants to head down, making advances in the accessibility side of travel, so people with visible and hidden disabilities can enjoy travel as much as anyone.

Another string to Gabrielle’s bow is her role as a Wish Maker for Make-A-Wish-UK, which grants wishes for children with critical illnesses. She does the initial screening calls with families, finding out children’s wishes. As the charity is independent from Disney, she’s not allowed to pull any strings, but there is an allocation from Disney and it does end up being the wish of many children to visit the parks. These calls can be emotional and she’s had training to manage that, but the rewards come when wish granters share the details of wishes completed with her. “It’s magical to see the smiles on the children’s faces,” she says.