- Anastasia Ali
- Vice President, Inclusive Marketing & Audience Growth / The Walt Disney Company
Anastasia Ali is an innovator in the ever-evolving landscape of media and entertainment. Her career spans two decades and is marked by a trail of "firsts" and transformative initiatives. From her experience in a homegrown startup to her role within the world's preeminent entertainment company, Anastasia leads with a multicultural mindset to consistently deliver marketing strategies that lead to irrefutable business results, proving that cultural relevance drives revenue.
For 12 years, Anastasia has been an integral leader at The Walt Disney Company, spearheading campaigns that foster deeper relevance. As Vice President, Inclusive Marketing & Audience Growth, she leads a pioneering department dedicated to strengthening Disney’s connection with multicultural consumers. Anastasia is the architect behind Disney’s “The Power of Joy” (#DisneyPowerOfJoy)—a platform that engages influential Black creators whose passion for Disney sparks cultural conversations about the brand. By connecting them with Disney leadership and one another, Anastasia has cultivated an authentic community that fuels increased consumer engagement and conversion. Through innovative initiatives like this, paired with internal competency-building, Anastasia ensures Disney’s offerings remain culturally resonant and relevant to diverse audiences.
Prior to her current role, Anastasia served as Vice President of Marketing for The Walt Disney Studios, where she developed comprehensive marketing strategies for dozens of films and series, including multibillion dollar films such as Black Panther and Aladdin, the Oscar-winning Disney Pixar film, Soul, and the groundbreaking Marvel Animation series, What If…?
Beyond her professional achievements, Anastasia reaches back. She co-founded Disney's first companywide Black Employee Resource Group, The Bond, and co-founded The Walt Disney Studios inaugural Center of Excellence for multicultural marketing. Both groups have provided leadership development and peer mentorship opportunities for hundreds of employees.
Her commitment to diversity and inclusion is further reflected in the production company she founded with her sister in 2006, which produced multicultural content for a global audience on digital and cable platforms including BET.com’s first web series, Buppies, which earned nominations from NAMIC and the Webbys, write-ups in The Wall Street Journal and Ad Age, and a partnership with CoverGirl/My Black Is Beautiful. She also produced TV One’s first scripted show Love That Girl! The show was nominated for four NAACP Image Awards and won the Vision Award from NAMIC.
With an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA with Honors from Brown University, Anastasia continues to lead with purpose, determined to shape how consumers perceive brands and how brands value consumers. She proudly embodies her Afro-Latina and Indo-Caribbean heritage, serving as an inspiration to those aspiring to break barriers and redefine norms in their own right.