Rick Merriman leads the Consumer Insight organization for Disney Parks, Experiences & Products (DPEP) where he is responsible for infusing consumer-centric thinking and decision-making into DPEP’s domestic businesses, including Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, and Disney Consumer Products.   The scope of Rick’s role includes futures foresight, market trends, new product development testing, demand estimation, brand equity studies, marketing effectiveness assessments, social listening, guest experience measurement, and key business driver analytics.

Rick’s previous roles with Disney included executive leadership of Marketing & Sales teams responsible for Marketing Analytics & Insights, Customer Relationship Integration, and Travel Operations Shared Services.  A Disney Cast Member since 1990, Rick previously worked in Revenue & Profit Management, Human Resources, Ride & Show Engineering, and was a founding member of the team that developed and launched Adventures by Disney.   

Rick received a master's degree in engineering management from the University of Central Florida, a bachelor's degree in industrial & systems engineering from the University of Florida, and completed the Crummer Management Program at Rollins College.   Rick is a member of The Conference Board’s Market Insights Council and Gartner’s Corporate Executive Board’s Market Insights Executive Council.