The Walt Disney Company announced that Josh D’Amaro, who runs Disney’s parks and resort operations, will succeed Bob Iger as CEO, effective March 18, 2026. D’Amaro, 54, oversees the company’s theme parks, cruises and dozens of resort hotels and will lead an organization with roughly $36 billion in annual revenue and about 185,000 employees worldwide as Disney seeks to draw more international visitors to its parks.
Iger returned to the company in 2022 after Bob Chapek’s departure and spent his second tenure focused on cost cuts and restructuring, including eliminating about 7,000 jobs in 2023. Disney created a succession planning committee in 2023 to evaluate candidates to follow Iger.
Disney Chairman James Gorman said the handover should be smoother than the last leadership change. Iger praised D’Amaro’s “instinctive appreciation of the Disney brand, and a deep understanding of what resonates with our audiences.” D’Amaro joined Disney in 1998 and has held roles in finance, strategy, marketing, creative development and operations. He served as president of Walt Disney World Resort and was named chairman of Disney Experiences in 2020, with responsibility for parks, cruises and resorts. He also oversees Disney’s licensing business, including its partnership with Epic Games.
In a related move, Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, was named president and chief creative officer of Disney, also effective March 18. The company did not disclose further changes to its executive leadership at the time of the announcement.