Disney names parks boss Josh D’Amaro as CEO, Iger to retire Dec 2026
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The news: Disney has named Josh D’Amaro as its next CEO, ending a years-long search and leadership uncertainty that followed Bob Iger’s return in 2022.
D’Amaro is a 28-year company veteran who currently chairs Disney Experiences. He is 54 and will take over on 18 March following the company’s annual shareholder meeting.
Iger, 74, will stay on as a senior adviser and board member until his retirement on 31 December. The board voted unanimously to appoint D’Amaro, who will also join the board. Dana Walden, 61, has been promoted to president and Disney’s first-ever companywide chief creative officer, a newly created role reporting to D’Amaro.
The context: The appointment follows a CEO search that began nearly three years ago and comes as D’Amaro’s division, which includes theme parks, cruises and consumer products, generated nearly 60% of Disney’s profit last fiscal year, with USD10 billion in operating profit.
He is leading a USD60 billion, 10-year expansion of parks and cruise lines, including a new theme park in Abu Dhabi. Disney chairman James Gorman told Bloomberg in an interview that the company’s board considered over 100 candidates.
“Josh is incredibly innovative,” Gorman said. “I’ve often said, what you look for in CEOs, it’s not just what they’ve done that’s important, but what they’re capable of doing.”
The leadership change follows Iger’s return to the top job in 2022 after the board removed his handpicked successor, Bob Chapek, whose tenure was marked by internal tensions and public controversies
The numbers: Disney shares fell slightly after the announcement. D’Amaro’s pay includes a USD2.5 million base salary and long-term incentives worth USD26.3 million, plus a USD9.7 million one-time bonus.
The source: The Walt Disney Company
