As General Manager, Franchise Development, Kayleen Walters is responsible for expanding the Minecraft franchise beyond the game through various entertainment platforms, including consumer products, social media, partnerships, film, television and location-based entertainment. In addition, she leads Minecraft’s social impact pillar with the goal to “Build A Better World through the power of play” and positively impact over one billion people by the year 2030.

Kayleen is a dynamic and experienced leader in the entertainment industry. She has a clear track record of achievement, developing branding and marketing initiatives, and forging global partnerships for legendary, multibillion-dollar entertainment franchises. Before Microsoft, she spent 13 years at Lucasfilm Ltd. where she worked her way to Vice President, Franchise Marketing & Integrated Planning. She provided global leadership for all aspects of brand management, crafted long-term strategic roadmaps for the Star Wars brand, instituted global brand and strategy guidelines and oversaw the development and coordination of product specific marketing campaigns across lines of business. During that time, Kayleen is most proud of launching Star Wars: Force for Change, a charitable initiative with the goal of inspiring others to make a positive impact on the world. She developed and launched the #1 Blu-ray collection of all time, as well as lead marketing for theatrical releases of Star Wars & Indiana Jones, produced multiple documentaries for Star Wars & Indiana Jones, and launched the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Prior to working at Lucasfilm, Kayleen held positions at MGM & Universal Studios. Kayleen has a Bachelor of Arts from U.C. Berkeley.