Rachel S. Hutter is a global executive and independent director with nearly three decades of leadership at The Walt Disney Company, where she is recognized for her judgment and leadership in financial oversight, operational risk, regulatory compliance, and technology governance. A licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Safety Professional, she brings to the boardroom deep technical credentials, large-scale operational experience, and decades of high-consequence decision-making in complex, regulated, public-facing environments.

A proven technology innovator and AI integration leader, Ms. Hutter holds two patents in automated operational safety systems that she designed, built, and deployed enterprise-wide at Disney Parks.

This technology was created in 2003, before modern enterprise software infrastructure existed in its current form, and is still in operation today. As Executive Vice President of Studio Operations at the Walt Disney Studios, she championed the creation of Dynamic Watermarking, a proprietary AI technology protecting content security across global distribution workflows while improving quality of localization and speed to market. She has demonstrated the ability to align complex, matrixed global organizations to implement AI and technology modernization initiatives at speed, achieving measurable improvements in cost, quality, and operational efficiency.

Selected by the Disney CEO to serve on the company’s seven-member enterprise COVID-19 Task Force, Ms. Hutter set health and safety mitigation strategy across Disney’s global regulatory footprint spanning more than 40 countries. She guided all Disney divisions, including Experiences, Entertainment, and Sports, in navigating acute sourcing crises, regulatory complexity, and reputational risk at scale. She advised Disney Chairmen, Presidents, Governors, and public health officials on enterprise risk, and achieved a 98% voluntary vaccination rate across 70,000 Walt Disney World employees. This experience reflects a career-long record of identifying and capturing strategic opportunity in periods of maximum uncertainty while simultaneously owning accountability for enterprise risk that is global in scale, complex in nature, and high-stakes in consequence.

As Senior Vice President of Worldwide Safety, Health, Engineering & Sourcing for Disney Parks & Resorts, Ms. Hutter held fiduciary accountability for $2 billion in annual sourcing and the safety of 157 million annual guests and 145,000 cast members in theme parks and resorts around the world. She directed $700 million in annual engineering investment programs, building unified safety governance and performance frameworks across a geographically dispersed, multi-regulatory enterprise. As Executive Vice President of Studio Operations for Walt Disney Studios, she held accountability for $900 million in annual revenue, delivering a 12% recurring cost reduction through vendor rationalization, process automation, and technology-enabled workflow redesign.

Ms. Hutter currently serves as a Board Member of Disney Research Studios (Zurich), where she shapes strategy in AI and technology development, and as a Board Member of Movies Anywhere, representing Disney’s streaming interests. She also serves as Chair of the Audit Committee of the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena. She serves on the Engineering Advisory Board of Michigan State University, where she received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2024, and previously advised the United States Air Force Transformation at the Pentagon. Ms. Hutter holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University and a Certificate in Business Management from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College.

Ms. Hutter has served as a guest lecturer for the University of Florida Engineering Leadership program and has received leadership awards from the Society of Women Engineers and the Association for Women in Science. She has delivered the commencement address at the Michigan State University College of Engineering and keynoted the Society of Women Engineers National Conference. She is immediately qualified to serve on audit, risk, and nominating and governance committees.