BURBANK, Calif. — Bob Lambert has been named senior vice president for worldwide media technology and development, The Walt Disney Company, it was announced today by Peter E. Murphy, senior executive vice president and chief strategic officer of The Walt Disney Company.
In his expanded role, Mr. Lambert will work closely with business unit and corporate executives on the development and coordination of a number of Disney’s digital initiatives, including new media technology strategies, technology planning, and interface with other media companies on technical matters. He will focus on strengthening Disney’s overall relationships in the technology sector to advance the deployment of new businesses. Mr. Lambert will also act as the company’s senior technical executive in new media, standards, regulatory, and rights management work.
In announcing Mr. Lambert’s expanded role, Mr. Murphy said, “We expect advances in digital technology to provide great opportunities for all our businesses going forward. Bob has been intimately involved in some of the most forward-thinking work in our industry for a number of years, including the initial launches of the DVD format, digital cinema, digital production, rights management technologies, and next generation media. His technical depth and diplomacy is well-respected both in and outside our company. Bob’s understanding of the technical, business, and inter-industry landscape make him ideally qualified to represent Disney in our interactions with technology partners, and in our business planning”
Mr. Lambert will continue to lead the Disney New Technology and New Media group, and provide corporate guidance for the Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development unit and the Studio New Technology area. He is a senior member of Disney’s Media Technology Board, having served as its 2003-04 chair, which comprises Disney’s senior technology executives from across the company’s business segments.
Mr. Lambert has been corporate senior vice president for new technology and development for Disney since January, 1996, and prior to that he was senior vice president of technology for The Walt Disney Studios. He has also served as director and vice president in Disney’s studio and animation businesses, overseeing the conversion of production processes to digital in the 1990s and creating a companywide new technology program. Before joining Disney, Mr. Lambert was executive director of new project development for Paramount Pictures. He serves on the boards of USC and the American Film Institute, and has served as an advisor to the National Academy of Science, the Entertainment Technology Center, and the US FIRST program.