Disney Names Parks Boss Josh D’Amaro as its Next CEO to Succeed Bob Iger, Effective March 18
Nick manages the company’s relationships with exhibitors and its advertising offerings. His editorial contributions focus on the business of exhibition, and current happenings across the industry.
This week Disney named Josh D’Amaro as its next CEO, taking the reins from long-serving chief executive Bob Iger as of March 18th. Iger will continue to serve as a board member and senior adviser through the end of 2026, at which point he will step away from Disney entirely. This marks the conclusion of a multi-year search led by Disney’s Board of Directors and Iger himself. The decision is consequential for both the company and the entertainment industry overall, given the central role that Disney plays in the media market. After struggling through a high-profile bungling of Iger’s first retirement and succession in 2020, the company has been much more deliberate this time around, ensuring a more durable and successful transition.
In recent months, Disney had whittled down its list of possible successors to two internal candidates, Dana Walden who is the current Co-Chairman of its Entertainment division and D’Amaro who heads its Disney Experiences division. Stories had begun to emerge in recent weeks that D’Amaro was gaining favor with the Board, and this week’s announcement confirms that choice. Both D’Amaro and Walden were given new titles in the reorganization, with Walden stepping into the newly created role of President and Chief Creative Officer, reporting directly to D’Amaro and focusing on Disney’s “storytelling and content” engine.
Walden will have a primary role in Disney’s strategy for theatrical releasing and streaming. If the personalities align, this division of labor makes a lot of sense, since D’Amaro has limited background managing a creative organization and content, having focused on the company’s theme park and cruise line businesses. The growth of the Disney Experiences, which for the first time topped $10 billion in quarterly revenue in the quarter ending last December, led Disney to prioritize D’Amaro’s expertise over Walden’s creative background.
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