Back in 2004 Duncan first began his career at Disney, landing the role of Vice President of Press and Publicity for Disneyland Resorts. Responsible for ensuring the Disney dream remains alive in the media, Duncan gained a reputation for his creative approach to communications, leading to his promotion to VP of Global PR in 2006. Best recognised for the latter position he held, Duncan was the Vice President of Innovation and Creativity for The Walt Disney Company from 2011 to 2017. Tasked with cultivating new ideas, Duncan worked to create a flourishing working culture and to encourage the creativity of each employee using out of the box thinking strategies. A pivotal figure in the development of magical new storylines and customer park experiences, Duncan was also instrumental in the creative work of Imagineering, Pixar, and Marvel.
After leaving his position at Disney in 2017, Duncan has since devoted his time to spreading fresh thinking and disruptive ideas through his keynote speeches, ideation forums and workshops. Utilising his extensive industry experience, Duncan now helps others to develop a fresh perspective through Design Thinking. At events, Duncan explores his unique Innovation Toolkit, which supports corporate clients in developing creative company DNA. Keen to inspire the next generation of disruptors, Duncan has lectured at Duke University, Yale University and the University of Florida. He has also founded ID8 & Innov8 to circulate his extensive knowledge as an innovation speaker.
An established speaker, Duncan has been popular for TEDx events, delivering a range of talks expanding on his 25 years at Disney. One of his most popular TEDx talks is The Theory of Creativity, which explores his belief that everyone truly can be creative if they put their minds to it. He later presented the talk titled Creating Relationship Magic, discussing the ways that Disney created such amazingly magical experiences, something Duncan won the American Citizens Award for when he held an event for new US citizens at Magic Kingdom. As a speaker, Duncan draws on his expertise from TED events and creative consultancy, to provide captivating keynote talks.
Most recently, Duncan Wardle was inducted into the Official Top Digital Disruption Speakers to Hire, celebrating his achievements throughout his career at Disney.
In April 2023 we sat down virtually again with Duncan Wardle and discussed his thoughts on current technological advancements including Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse. Watch our Exclusive Interview with Duncan Wardle.
