The game of musical chairs of Disney leadership continues at The Walt Disney Company. After the elevation of former Disney Experience Chairman Josh D’Amaro to the role of Disney CEO, the former Disneyland President Thomas Mazloum was promoted to the role of leading Disney Experiences. This set off one round of musical chairs that saw Jill Estorino taking over the role of Disneyland Resort President, Tasia Filippatos becoming President, Disney Parks International, and Lisa Baldzicki named President, Disney Consumer Products. Fast forward a couple of months, and Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle announced he would be retiring this summer. This has set off another round of musical chairs. Today, Mazloum announced the new leadership changes that began because of this retirement.
First off is the Walt Disney World Resort. Joe Schott will be moving from President of Disney Signature Experiences to take on the role of President of Walt Disney World Resort. Natacha Rafalski, currently at Disneyland Paris, will take on the role of President of Disney Signature Experiences. Replacing her as President of Disneyland Paris is Christophe Murphy.
“Disney Experiences is in the midst of unprecedented expansion with more new projects underway across our global portfolio than at any other moment in our history,” said Thomas Mazloum, Chairman, Disney Experiences. “These appointments reflect the depth of leadership talent driving Disney Experiences. Joe, Natacha, and Christophe have a deep appreciation of the guest experience, possess extensive financial and operational expertise, and a proven ability to deliver at scale. I have complete confidence in each of them to build on the remarkable momentum underway across these businesses and to write the next chapter of Disney’s story.”
Joe Schott, President, Walt Disney World
Joe Schott comes to lead Walt Disney World Resort with over 40 years of leadership experience from around the world. He is one of Disney’s most experienced international operators. In his most recent role as President of Disney Signature Experiences, he oversaw the launch of two new ships: the Disney Destiny and Disney Adventure. Prior to that, he was president and general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort. There, he led the resort through a major expansion that included the opening of a Zootopia-themed land. This contributed to the resort surpassing 100 million guests in under a decade. The resort has continued to grow on the momentum he set with a new Spider-Man attraction and two new hotels currently in the works. Before Shanghai, Schott was the chief operating officer for Disneyland Paris for five years and before that the executive managing director of Walt Disney Attractions Japan, where he supported the growth of Tokyo Disney Resort.
Schott began his Disney journey as a Jungle Cruise Skipper. He now takes over the role of President of Walt Disney World Resort. He takes over this role from Jeff Vahle, who is retiring after a 36-year career with Disney.
Natacha Rafalski, President, Disney Signature Experiences
Natacha Rafalski is the new President of Disney Signature Experiences (DSE). In this role, the 30-year veteran will be overseeing the Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Aulani – A Disney Resort & Spa, Adventures by Disney, National Geographic Expeditions, Storyliving by Disney, and Golden Oak. She will also be guiding the next phase of Disney Cruise Line’s fleet expansion as it grows from eight ships to 13 vessels by 2031. Each new ship will serve as a powerful ambassador of the Disney brand as the storytelling, service, and innovation is extended to families around the globe.
Rafalski brings a unique skill set to this role. Throughout her career, she has developed a blend of financial discipline, strategic vision, and an understanding of what connects and moves guests. She has been president of Disneyland Paris since 2018, where she has led over 20,000 Cast Members across the two theme parks, seven themed hotels, and Disney Village. She spearheaded the resort’s €2 billion transformation of Walt Disney Studios Park into Disney Adventure World. This roughly doubled the size of the park’s footprint and added franchise powerhouses Marvel Avengers Campus and World of Frozen to the resort. Disneyland Paris has welcomed hundreds of millions of guests as Europe’s leading tourist destination.
Before taking over Disneyland Paris, Rafalski played an important role in the development of Shanghai Disney Resort and negotiated one of the most consequential theme park development agreements in Disney’s history. She then served as the Chief Financial Officer of The Walt Disney Company Greater China from 2013 to 2017.
Christophe Murphy, President, Disneyland Paris
Christophe Murphy is the new President of Disneyland Paris. In this role, he will continue to lead its evolution as it continues to transform and grow in its new chapter. This will include the development of a new Lion King-themed land and attraction that will add to the guest experience at Disney Adventure World. Murphy has no shortage of experience as an operational leader at The Walt Disney Company. His career spans over 35 years. It began at Disneyland Paris in 1991 during the resort’s pre-opening phase. Throughout his career, he has worked in every part of resort operations, including theme parks, Disney Village, hotels, entertainment, merchandise, food and beverage, and franchise integration.
Murphy was appointed vice president of Operations for Walt Disney Attraction Japan in 2021. There, he worked in close partnership with Oriental Land Company in Tokyo Disney Resort, where he partnered on quality standards, guest experience, and expansion strategy. In 2023, Murphy returned to Disneyland Paris as senior vice president, Operations. In this role, he oversaw all operational strategies for the resort. This included the delivery of the major expansion that introduced Disney Adventure World and World of Frozen to guests in March 2026. Murphy is said to bring valuable experience from Disneyland Paris Marketing & Sales to his new role.
The Next Step
All three leaders will take on their new roles by the end of July. This will be ahead of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in August. It is probably that new announcements will be made from their assignments about what the future will look like. This comes as the Disney Cruise Line continues to expand, new lands and attractions are coming to life at Walt Disney World Resort, and Disneyland Paris continues to grow and transform as it increases its popularity in Europe.
What do you think of these leadership changes at Disney Experiences? Are you excited about them? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
