Disney employees are relieved that the company’s next CEO has finally been revealed. On Tuesday, the company announced that Disney Experiences chairperson Josh D’Amaro would take over from Bob Iger in March, while Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden would step into the newly created President and Chief Creative Officer role.
“It has been hanging over us for so long and been in the way and a distraction, and so it’s great to have clarity,” one executive told Variety. Other insiders agreed and think the company handled the announcement well.
Though D’Amaro was generally considered the frontrunner for the CEO position, Walden was a close second and Disney reportedly considered making them co-CEOs. Walden called her new position a “dream job” in an Instagram post, expressing no outward bitterness. Variety’s sources say she has always been a team player and previously helped Bob Chapek develop Hollywood connections.
“I think Dana is going to do the same for Josh,” an insider said.
Walden has the TV experience that D’Amaro does not, and she would have been Disney’s first female CEO. Leadership in the company’s entertainment arm would have preferred Walden as chief but one insider said “this feels like a somewhat elegant solution.”
Variety points out that there are still questions about leadership restructuring going forward. Walden was co-chair of Disney Entertainment with Alan Bergman and she may need to promote someone else into her old position.
“I do think Dana will have to have a head of television and a head of film. If she’s going to be a true chief creative officer, she’s going to have to elevate someone,” one executive told Variety. Possible candidates include Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich, Disney Television Studios president Eric Schrier, Disney Branded Television president Ayo Davis, and FX chairman John Landgraf.
Regarding Walden’s brand-new job position, an insider said, “It’s such a legacy company for them to create a new role in this, in the C-suite, for her, feels pretty historic.”
Another big question is who will replace D’Amaro as head of Disney Experiences, which includes theme parks and Disney Cruise Line. Suggested replacements include Walt Disney Imagineering president and CCO Bruce Vaughn, Disney Consumer Products president Tasia Filippatos, Disneyland Resort president Thomas Mazloum, and Walt Disney World Resort president Jeff Vahle.
As one of Variety’s sources said, “It’s going to be a year of big change at this company.”
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