It’s a great big beautiful D’Amaro! Bob Iger has stepped down as CEO of The Walt Disney Company and Josh D’Amaro has taken his place.

Josh D’Amaro is Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company

Disney announced in early February that D’Amaro would be the company’s next CEO — and that he would take over the role earlier than originally expected. The hand-off was made during the Annual Meeting on March 18, 2026.

“The most important part of Disney will always be the people,” D’Amaro said in a social media message after the announcement. “I have had the pleasure of working with tens of thousands of Cast, Imagineers and employees over the years… and it is because of them and the millions of Disney fans around the world that I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to lead this extraordinary company.”

The decision was made with a unanimous vote by Disney’s Board of Directors on February 2. The Board also intends to appoint D’Amaro as a director immediately following the Annual Meeting.

“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO,” Iger said. “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.”

Iger’s contract is up at the end of this year and it was previously thought that is when a new CEO would take over. He has been mentoring D’Amaro and will continue to serve as Senior Advisor and a member of the Disney Board until his (second) retirement from the company on December 31, 2026.

Iger and D’Amaro visited Disneyland together a few days after the CEO announcement.

D’Amaro will start with an annual base salary of $2.5 million, which will be payable weekly. There will also be an annual target incentive bonus of 250% of the base salary at the end of each fiscal year. He will receive a long-term stock incentive of $26.25 million for each fiscal year he serves as CEO. He will also earn a one-time payout with a target value of $9.705 million.

From the Newly Updated Disney Executive Leadership Page, March 18, 2026:

Josh D’Amaro is Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, leading a unified portfolio of world-class brands and businesses committed to exceptional storytelling and meaningful consumer connections. As part of his strategic vision for the company, D’Amaro has outlined priorities aimed at uniting human creativity with cutting-edge technology to create unforgettable storytelling experiences that deepen Disney’s enduring bond with fans and consumers. Under his leadership, Disney is harnessing the power of its creative engines, global reach, and multiple consumer touchpoints to accelerate into a new era of innovation and growth.

D’Amaro assumes the role of CEO after serving as Chairman of Disney Experiences, the company’s largest and fastest growing business segment, with $36 billion in annual revenue in FY2025. During his tenure leading Disney Experiences, D’Amaro spearheaded the largest expansion in the segment’s history, guiding a multi‑year strategy with capital investment to significantly expand Disney’s footprint worldwide, including new cruise ships, resorts, themed lands, attractions, and technologies that will redefine the Disney guest experience for future generations — all powered by close collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Studios, and the filmmakers and creators behind Disney’s most enduring franchises.

More Executive Changes

Dana Walden, who was also a candidate for CEO, has taken up the newly created position of President & Chief Creative Officer. She will have an annual base salary of $3.75 million. She will be eligible for an annual bonus equal to 200% of that. She will receive a long-term stock award of $15.75 million for each full fiscal year and receive a one-time long-term incentive valued at $5.26 million.

Other executive shake-ups include the departure of Kristina Schake as Chief Communications Officer. She is being replaced by Paul Roeder, effective on March 19.

Thomas Mazloum, who has served as Disneyland Resort President for the past year, replaces D’Amaro as Disney Experiences Chairperson. Jill Estorino has been appointed the new President of Disneyland Resort. Tasia Filippatos takes over Estorino’s position as President of Disney Parks International. And Lisa Baldzicki replaces Filippatos as President of Disney Consumer Products.

Josh D’Amaro’s Career

D’Amaro graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University in 1993. He worked in the finance department of the Gillette Company before joining Disney in 1998.

Until 2008, he was vice president of sales and travel trade marketing. He was also director of business planning and strategy development from 2005 to 2006. He became chief financial officer of Disney Consumer Products Licensing in 2008.

In 2010, D’Amaro was promoted to VP of Adventures by Disney. From 2013 to 2014, he was VP of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, overseeing initial construction of Pandora – The World of Avatar. He then became senior vice president of Walt Disney World’s Resort & Transportation Operations in September 2014 and remained in that position until February 2017.

Later that year, he became chief creative officer of Walt Disney World. In 2018, he moved to California, where he was president of Disneyland Park for a year and a half. He then returned to Florida as president of Walt Disney World.

When Bob Chapek was promoted from Disney Experiences chairperson to CEO of Disney, D’Amaro took over Chapek’s position. He has remained head of Disney Experiences for almost six years, overseeing management of all six Disney resorts and Disney Cruise Line, including 12 theme parks, 57 resort hotels, the upcoming Disneyland Abu Dhabi, and eight cruise ships (and more on the way), as well as Disney Consumer Products, Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, Disney Institute, and Storyliving by Disney. He leads the worldwide team of 185,000 cast members.

During his tenure as chairperson, Avengers Campus opened at Disney California Adventure, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway debuted at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tokyo DisneySea expanded with the acclaimed Fantasy Springs, multiple World of Frozen lands have been developed, a Zootopia land opened at Shanghai Disneyland, Walt Disney Studios Park was transformed into Disney Adventure World, and new areas inspired by Cars and Disney Villains were announced as part of the largest-ever expansion to Magic Kingdom.

D’Amaro joined the Make-A-Wish America board of directors in 2023. He is also a member of the United States Travel Association Leadership Roundtable.

Disney CEO History

Iger initially stepped down from the CEO position and Chapek took over in 2020. Iger remained executive chairman of the board through 2021 and then retired. 11 months later, Disney’s board fired Chapek and Iger returned under a two-year contract. It was quickly extended through 2026.

James P. Gorman led the search for Disney’s next CEO. He was brought in as chairman of the board in 2024 after his retirement from Morgan Stanley.

Previous Disney CEOs included Roy O. Disney, Donn Tatum, Card Walker, Ron W. Miller, and Michael Eisner. Walt Disney was President and Chairman but never CEO.

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