The Walt Disney Company has officially named Josh D’Amaro as the next in line for CEO of The Walt Disney Company, with plans to succeed current CEO Bob Iger.

From 2005 to 2020, Bob Iger served as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, officially returning to the role in 2022. With Iger’s contract expiring in 2026, many have wondered who would succeed the longtime Company staple in the position. And now, we have our answer.

Josh D’Amaro Announced as Next CEO of The Walt Disney Company

Josh D’Amaro, who currently serves as Chairman of Disney Experiences, has officially been named as the successor to Bob Iger. In his role, D’Amaro oversees all the Disney Parks and Disney Signature Experiences. This includes the theme parks, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, and Storyliving by Disney. His portfolio also includes Walt Disney Imagineering, as well as Disney Consumer Products.

In a unanimous vote by the Walt Disney Company Board of Directors, D’Amaro was elected to become Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, effective at the upcoming Annual Meeting on March 18, 2026. The Board also intends to appoint D’Amaro as a director immediately following that meeting.

Josh D’Amaro at the opening of World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland. Photo Courtesy of Disney

“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO,” said Robert A. Iger, CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “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.”

In D’Amaro’s current role, he has overseen over 185,000 Cast Members and has led the creation of experiences through a 10-year, $60 billion investment in new attractions, lands, ships, and technology. This includes the announcement of seven additional cruise ships, as well as six new theme park lands and areas. Along with his work with Disney, he has served on the National Board of Directors for Make-A-Wish America, a charity that has partnered with Disney for the past 45 years.

Who is Josh D’Amaro?

D’Amaro joined Disney in 1998, beginning his career in finance and business development. Early on, he held roles in Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney World operations, gaining firsthand experience with how the company’s most complex offerings actually function day to day. That operational background would later define his leadership style: detail-oriented, numbers-savvy, but deeply aware of how decisions affect guests on the ground.

Photo courtesy of Business Wire

His profile rose significantly in 2018 when he was named President of Walt Disney World Resort. During his tenure, D’Amaro oversaw some of the most ambitious expansions in the resort’s history, including the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. He also played a major role in guiding Walt Disney World through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, managing closures, phased reopenings, and sweeping operational changes during an extraordinarily volatile period for the parks.

In 2020, D’Amaro was promoted to Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products (now Disney Experiences), succeeding Bob Chapek. In this role, he became responsible for Disney’s global parks portfolio, including Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and more. Known for his polished public presence and frequent appearances at Disney fan events like D23, D’Amaro has become a visible face of the company’s theme park future.

Dana Walden Named President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company

Concurrently with D’Amaro’s appointment, Dana Walden, Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, has been named President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company. This position will also go into effect on March 18. In her role as Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, Walden has led Disney’s award-winning entertainment media, news, and content business globally, including its streaming business. What she will be taking on is a new role, where she will report directly to D’Amaro and “ensure that storytelling and creative expression across every audience touchpoint consistently reflect the brand, engage audiences at scale, and advance core business objectives, while driving enterprise-wide initiatives and translating vision into action,” according to a Disney press release.

Photo Courtesy of Disney

“Dana Walden is an excellent leader who commands tremendous respect from the creative community,” continued Iger. “Given that creativity is at the heart of everything Disney does, she is a wonderful choice to serve in this new leadership role. In the years since Dana joined Disney, she has accumulated great knowledge about the many facets of our businesses and brands, and is very well prepared to be President and Chief Creative Officer.”