Universal Destinations & Experiences names Donna Mirus Bates Global Franchise Strategy Officer

Universal Destinations & Experiences has promoted Donna Mirus Bates to Global Franchise Strategy Officer, a company role intended to oversee franchise management and strategic partnerships across the NBCUniversal theme park and resort portfolio, according to Deadline.

In the newly described position, Bates is responsible for strategy work spanning Universal theme parks and resorts, as well as related merchandise and entertainment experiences tied to the Universal brand, the outlet reported. The announcement places her in an oversight capacity for how franchises are managed and expanded across multiple categories rather than within a single operating unit.

Deadline reported that Bates will report to Vince Klaseus, President of Universal Destinations & Experiences. The posting frames the appointment as part of the business’s broader growth period, describing Universal’s destinations organization as experiencing a phase of “huge growth,” with franchise strategy positioned as a central part of how that growth is supported.

As described in the announcement, the franchise strategy remit includes both internal management and external collaboration. That involves coordinating partnerships in areas associated with theme parks and resorts and aligning entertainment and merchandise planning with the company’s franchise approach.

The promotion also indicates continued emphasis on integrating audiences’ experiences across physical locations and consumer-facing products. By tying franchise strategy to parks, resorts, merchandise, and entertainment experiences, the role is positioned as a bridge between operational offerings and the branded content and product ecosystem that accompanies them.

Bates’s promotion comes with no additional public timeline for specific initiatives in the reporting provided, and no background details were included in the information summarized here about her prior positions or start date beyond the appointment announcement.

Universal Destinations & Experiences is part of NBCUniversal, and the executive title described by Deadline indicates the company’s franchise strategy function will sit at a senior level within its destinations organization, according to the outlet’s report.