Universal Studios Hollywood has named Karen Irwin, an executive from Orlando, Florida., to take over in December as president and chief operating officer of the theme park, it was reported Thursday.
Irwin replaces Larry Kurzweil, who held the post for 17 years and oversaw upgrades, including the addition of the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction in April and Transformers: The Ride-3D in 2012, the Los Angeles Times reported. Kurzweil plans to join a private equity firm specializing in the food industry and will serve as president and chief executive of the Lemonade Restaurant Group in Los Angeles, according to the newspaper.
In her most recent post, Irwin oversaw merchandising and partnership deals for Universal Parks & Resorts, the umbrella company that oversees all Universal theme parks.
