Disney has named its parks chief Josh D鈥橝maro to succeed Bob Iger as the entertainment giant’s top executive.
D鈥橝maro will become the 9th CEO in the more than 100-year-old company’s history. He has overseen the company鈥檚 theme parks, cruises and resorts since 2020. The Experiences division has been a substantial moneymaker for Disney, with $36 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2025 and 185,000 employees worldwide.
The 54-year-old takes over a time when Disney is flush with box-office hits like and and its streaming business is strong. At the same time, Disney has seen a decline in to its domestic theme parks. Tourism to the U.S. has fallen overall during an aggressive immigration crack down by the Trump administration, as well as clashes with almost all of country’s trading partners.
D’Amaro will be tasked with tapping into Disney’s vast collection of intellectual property to help create successful movies and theme park additions, while also pushing for streaming growth and continuing to build up its sports business.
The decision on the next chief executive at Disney comes almost four years after the company’s choice to replace Iger went disastrously, forcing Iger back into the job.
Only two years after stepping down as CEO, Iger after a period of , missteps and a under his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek.
Disney meticulously and methodically sought out its next CEO this time. The company created a succession planning committee in 2023, but the search began in earnest in 2024 when Disney James Gorman, who is currently Disney’s chairman and previously served as Morgan Stanley’s executive chairman, to lead the effort. That still gave it ample opportunity to vet candidates, as Iger agreed to a contract .
Disney said that Iger will continue to serve as a senior adviser and board member until his retirement from the company at the end of the year.
While external candidates were considered, it was widely expected that Disney would for the next CEO. The advantage would be that Disney executives were already being mentored by Iger, and had extensive contact with the company鈥檚 15 board members, of which Iger is a member.
Disney is unique in that its top executive must oversee a sprawling entertainment company with branches reaching in every direction, while also serving as an unusually public figure.
D鈥橝maro and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden quickly emerged as the front-runners for the top job.
D鈥橝maro, who has been with Disney since 1998, has been leading the charge on Disney鈥檚 multiyear $60 billion investment into its cruise ships, resorts and theme parks. He also oversees Walt Disney Imagineering, which is in charge of the design and development of the company鈥檚 theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, and immersive experiences worldwide. In addition, D鈥橝maro has been leading Disney鈥檚 licensing business, which includes its partnership with .
鈥淭hroughout this search process, Josh has demonstrated a strong vision for the company鈥檚 future and a deep understanding of the creative spirit that makes Disney unique in an ever-changing marketplace,” Gorman said in prepared remarks. 鈥淗e has an outstanding record of business achievement, collaborating with some of the biggest names in entertainment to bring their stories to life in our parks, showcasing the power of combining Disney storytelling with cutting-edge technology.鈥�
In her most recent role as co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, Walden has helped oversee Disney鈥檚 streaming business, along with its entertainment media, news and content businesses. She joined Disney in 2019. Before that, Walden spent 25 years at 21st Century Fox and was CEO of Fox Television Group.
Walden will now step into the newly created role of president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Co. She will report to D’Amaro.
鈥淚 think if you think about what is the heart of the Disney company, it鈥檚 the creativity. It鈥檚 this amazing IP that鈥檚 been produced over decades, going back to Walt, and the storytelling that comes from that creativity. And I think Dana, working with Josh and ensuring that the best creativity permeates all of our businesses, is what we wanted,鈥� Gorman said in an interview with CNBC.
There had been speculation that Disney might go the route of naming co-CEOs, a move that has started to become more popular with companies. and are among those who named co-CEOs in 2025.
D鈥橝maro and Walden’s appointments are effective on March 18.
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