Josh D’Amaro, the chairman of Disney’s successful parks division, will succeed Bob Iger as the next CEO, The Walt Disney Company said on Tuesday.
D’Amaro, 54, will officially take over the position on March 18.
With 28 years’ experience at Disney, D’Amaro has lead the Disney Experiences division—which includes the company’s theme parks, cruise line and consumer products—since 2020.
“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO,” Iger said in a statement. “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.”
The selection of D’Amaro comes after a nearly four-year search for Iger’s successor.
Iger, 74, left the company in 2020 after 15 years as CEO, handing over the reins to his hand-picked successor Bob Chapkek, who, like D’Amaro also served as parks chairman before becoming CEO.
But with Chapek’s tenure plagued with missteps and financial turbulence, Iger came out of retirement in 2022 to take over as CEO again.
Upon his return, Iger set a handful of priorities, including rolling out changes at the parks to improve the visitor experience, restoring creative control to studios leadership and finding a successor.
On Tuesday, Disney said that Iger will stay on as a senior advisor and board member until he retires from the company at the end of the year.
Disney also promoted Dana Walden to a newly-created role of president and chief creative officer, effective March 18. She will report directly to D’Amaro.
Among her duties will be ensuring that “storytelling and creative expression across every audience touchpoint consistently reflect the brand,” the company said.
Walden, 61, is the co-chair of Disney Entertainment, the division that includes the company’s TV, studios and streaming businesses. She joined Disney is 2019 after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox entertainment assets.
“Dana Walden is an excellent leader who commands tremendous respect from the creative community,” Iger said. “Given that creativity is at the heart of everything Disney does, she is a wonderful choice to serve in this new leadership role.”
D’Amaro becomes the 9th CEO in the entertainment giant’s more than 100-year history.
Long considered the frontrunner for the top job, D’Amaro began his Disney career in 1998 at Disneyland.
As Experiences chairman, he has been responsible for overseeing Disney’s 12 theme parks, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Consumer Products.
D’Amaro is already well-known among the Disney theme park community. He frequently visits the parks and interacts with both visitors and employees.
The parks have been undergoing major transformations under D’Amaro. Projects include a massive expansion at Disneyland Paris, new attractions at Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure, a villains land for Magic Kingdom and a Tropical Americas land with “Indiana Jones” and “Encanto” attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Prior to becoming parks chairman, D’Amaro was vice president of Animal Kingdom, president of Disneyland Resort and president of Walt Disney World.
“I am immensely grateful to the board for entrusting me with leading a company that means so much to me and million around the world,” D’Amaro said in a statement Tuesday.
D’Amaro and Walden will step into their new roles on the same day Disney is scheduled to hold its annual shareholder meeting.
