The Walt Disney Company has announced that Josh D’Amaro, the current Chairman of Disney Experiences, will be its next CEO. Disney’s Board of Directors met on Monday and unanimously voted for D’Amaro. This role will be effective as of March 18, 2026, at Disney’s Annual Meeting. Following the Annual Meeting, the Board will appoint D’Amaro as a director. This is a meteoric rise for D’Amaro, who in 2019 was the President of Disneyland Resort before being elevated to Walt Disney World Resort President, and then to his current role in 2020.

“Josh D’Amaro possesses that rare combination of inspiring leadership and innovation, a keen eye for strategic growth opportunities, and a deep passion for the Disney brand and its people – all of which make him the right person to take the helm as Disney’s next CEO,” said James Gorman, Chairman of The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors. “Throughout this search process, Josh has demonstrated a strong vision for the company’s future and a deep understanding of the creative spirit that makes Disney unique in an ever-changing marketplace. He 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. The Board believes he is exceptionally well prepared to guide this global company forward to serve our consumers around the world and create long-term value for shareholders.”

D’Amaro is a 28-year Disney veteran. He is also the architect of the largest global expansion of Disney Experiences in history. On top of that, he has led the segment to new heights financially, creatively, and in guest satisfaction. Disney Experiences is now the largest business segment at Disney. It had $36 billion in annual revenue in Fiscal Year 2025 and has 185,000 Cast Members and employees globally.
 
“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO,” said Robert A. Iger, CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “He has an instinctive appreciation of the Disney brand, and a deep understanding of what resonates with our audiences, paired with the rigor and attention to detail required to deliver some of our most ambitious projects. His ability to combine creativity with operational excellence is exemplary and I am thrilled for Josh and the company.” 

Along with the elevation of D’Amaro, Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden will be named President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company. This role will also be effective starting on March 18th. Walden will report directly to D’Amaro and be charged with ensuring storytelling and creative expression across every audience touchpoint consistently reflect the brand, engage audiences at scale, and also advance core business objectives, while driving enterprise-wide initiatives and translating vision into action.

“Dana Walden is an excellent leader who commands tremendous respect from the creative community,” continued Iger. “Given that creativity is at the heart of everything Disney does, she is a wonderful choice to serve in this new leadership role. In the years since Dana joined Disney, she has accumulated great knowledge about the many facets of our businesses and brands, and is very well prepared to be President and Chief Creative Officer.”

During the selection and succession process, Bob Iger has acted as a mentor for the internal candidates. Upon the elevations of both of these people to their new roles, Iger will remain with Disney as Senior Advisor and member of the Disney Board until he retires on December 31, 2026.

For the better part of two decades, Bob Iger has led The Walt Disney Company to incredible creative and business success. He has transformed the company with the acquisition of multiple studios, brands, and technologies, including Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Fox. Since he returned to the role of CEO in 2022, he led the company through a period of strategic transformation. This came as the company was going through a period of significant industry disruption. Iger led it through this uncertain time and positioned Disney for long-term growth in a new era of entertainment. Iger’s moves during the recent transformation saw the restructuring of the company and the empowerment of creative leaders. This was coupled with the restoration of financial discipline. He also established four strategic priorities:

1. Strengthening the quality and economic output of the film studios
2. Delivering sustained profitability in streaming
3. Positioning ESPN as the premier digital destination for sports fans
4. Turbocharging growth across Disney Experiences

Because of these initiatives, Disney is more agile and resilient than ever before. D’Amaro will take over a company that is in a much stronger position than it was three years ago.

“I am immensely grateful to the Board for entrusting me with leading a company that means so much to me and millions around the world,” said Josh D’Amaro, incoming CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Disney’s strength has always come from our people and the creative excellence that defines our stories and experiences. There is no limit to what Disney can achieve, and I am excited to work with our teams across the company and brilliant creative partners to honor Disney’s remarkable legacy while continuing to innovate, grow, and deliver exceptional value for our consumers and shareholders. I also want to express my gratitude to Bob Iger for his generous mentorship, his friendship, and the profound impact of his leadership.”

D’Amaro has been a fan favorite of guests at the Disney Parks. He has been known to stop and chat with guests when he is in the parks. He has also been seen multiple times in the parks with Bob Iger. The friendship and mentorship have been on display for guests to see as they appeared in the parks.

“On behalf of the entire Board, we extend our deepest gratitude to Bob Iger for his extraordinary leadership and dedication to The Walt Disney Company,” continued Gorman. “The Board asked Bob to return as CEO in 2022 for two critical reasons. First, to lead the company through a challenging transition and ensure Disney was fit for purpose for the future. Second, to strengthen the leadership bench and to help develop candidates for the CEO transition. Bob has delivered on both priorities, while also guiding Disney through a transformative period with an ambitious strategy that has further strengthened its position as the world’s premier entertainment company. After nearly two decades leading Disney, the Iger era has been defined by enormous growth, an unyielding commitment to excellence in creativity and innovation, and exemplary stewardship of this iconic institution.”

On March 18th, the Iger era will end, and the D’Amaro era will begin. In many ways, this will be a pivot point for the company. The Iger era has had incredible growth, and the company has transformed from being a traditional media company to one that is poised to leap into the future. The D’Amaro era will see new types of Disney theme parks that will be more technologically advanced and immersive than ever before. It will also see Disney move further into the streaming era. This will come as this technology continues to develop and evolve. There will also be further realization of what Disney can do in the realm of sports, OpenAI, and other new forms of storytelling for the company.

“I am incredibly proud to step away at a moment when Disney’s future has never been brighter,” continued Iger. “I’m confident Disney will continue to innovate and put the spirit of Walt at the heart of everything it does – from its new park in Abu Dhabi to the groundbreaking partnerships just announced with OpenAI and the NFL, to the countless upcoming creative projects that will enthrall audiences around the world. Disney has shaped who I am as a leader, and I will always be grateful to this extraordinary company and for the opportunity to lead it over all these years.”

Disney released the following biographies about Josh D’Amaro:

About Josh D’Amaro

D’Amaro, 54, has served as Chairman of the Disney Experiences segment since 2020, and prior to that was President of Walt Disney World Resort. He joined the company in 1998 at Disneyland Resort.

As Chairman of Disney Experiences, D’Amaro oversees 12 theme parks and 57 resort hotels worldwide, with plans for a new park in Abu Dhabi. His responsibilities include Disney Signature Experiences—including Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, Disney Institute, and Storyliving by Disney—as well as overseeing Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Consumer Products. He also manages digital ventures, including the collaboration with Epic Games to create a Disney universe within Fortnite.
 
D’Amaro has been instrumental in expanding Disney’s iconic franchises through the creation of immersive, story-driven experiences at Disney’s theme parks, such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the Marvel-themed Avengers Campus, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and World of Frozen. Building on this momentum, upcoming projects include the development of a Monsters, Inc.-themed land at Disney Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort, a new Avatar destination at the Disneyland Resort, and expansive new areas inspired by Cars and Disney Villains as part of the largest-ever expansion of the Magic Kingdom.
 
Over his nearly three-decade career at Disney, he has held leadership roles across the company both in the U.S. and internationally, including in finance, business strategy, marketing, creative development and operations. His past positions include President of Disneyland Resort and President of Walt Disney World Resort.

D’Amaro earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgetown University.

The process to pick Bob Iger’s successor as CEO has been a multi-year process that began in 2023. In January of that year, the Board of Directors formed a special Succession Planning Committee to support the Board in planning for a transition of leadership that was in line with Disney’s long-term strategic goals. Under the direction of the Board, the Committee and the full Board undertook a deliberate, multi-year succession planning process. They met regularly to evaluate both internal and external candidates, transition structures, organizational frameworks, and also to plan for potential impacts that the succession decisions might have throughout the company. The Committee has been led by Gorman as Chair since 2024. It also currently includes directors Mary T. Barra, Jeremy Darroch, and Calvin R. McDonald. Each of these members has direct experience in CEO and senior leadership succession planning for Fortune 500 companies. Throughout the process, D’Amaro and Walden went through rigorous preparations Disney shared. This included extensive mentorship from Iger, external coaching, and direct engagement with all of the directors.

The leadership team at Disney will continue to support D’Amaro as he takes on this new role. These senior executives have been working seamlessly together for several years at Disney. Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman and ESPN Chairman James Pitaro will continue in their current roles and work with D’Amaro and Walden. Other senior leaders will also remain on to support the new CEO. Disney shares that these leaders have overseen major strategic transformations, expanded key franchises, and driven performance across multiple business cycles. These leaders bring deep institutional knowledge, operational discipline, and collaborative culture to provide a strong foundation for the future under Josh D’Amaro’s leadership.

What do you think of the elevation of Josh D’Amaro to CEO of The Walt Disney Company? How about Dana Walden as President and Chief Creative Officer? Who do you think should take over the role of Disney Experiences chairman? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!