Mark Woodbury is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Parks & Resorts. He oversees all Universal parks and resorts worldwide, including Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan and the recently opened Universal Beijing Resort. He also serves on the NBCU Executive Committee.
Most recently, Mr. Woodbury served as Vice Chairman, Universal Parks & Resorts and President of Universal Creative – the group charged with planning, designing and creating all Universal attractions and destinations worldwide. In his role as Vice Chairman, Mr. Woodbury was also responsible for all strategic planning and design strategy for Universal Parks & Resorts.
Mr. Woodbury joined Universal Parks & Resorts more than 30 years ago, during the development of Universal Studios Florida – the company’s first expansion outside of Hollywood. He quickly became a key member of the leadership team and, as Chief Creative Officer, oversaw the expansion of Universal Studios Florida into Universal Orlando Resort, a destination that included Universal Studios Florida, a second theme park called Universal’s Islands of Adventure, on-site hotels and an entertainment complex. He also oversaw the development of Universal Studios Japan, which quickly became the company’s most attended theme park destination.
In 2006, Mr. Woodbury was named President of Universal Creative and continued to lead the development of world-class attractions and destinations – while creating innovative partnerships with some of the world’s most compelling entertainment brands. His work has included entire lands, such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the globally popular themed and immersive land that is now at Universal theme parks in Orlando, Osaka, Hollywood and Beijing along with Super Nintendo World, which recently opened at Universal Studios Japan and will also be at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort.
Most recently, Mr. Woodbury oversaw the creative design and development of Universal Being Resort, including all attractions, its CityWalk entertainment complex and the first-ever Universal-themed hotel. Universal Beijing successfully opened in 2021 as Universal’s largest theme park destination at opening.
Mr. Woodbury’s continued championing of innovative design and inspired collaboration has been a driving force behind the success of Universal Parks & Resorts around the world. Committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, he is an active member of the Universal Parks & Resorts Executive Inclusion Council, aimed at impactful, cross-divisional inclusion efforts.
Prior to joining Universal, Mr. Woodbury worked in private architectural practices and real estate development. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of New Mexico. He is a licensed Architect and an active member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
