Who is Josh D’Amaro, the new CEO of Disney?

Josh D’Amaro will turn out to be the brand new CEO of the Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday, succeeding longtime chief govt Bob Iger on the helm of the century-old media and leisure firm.

D’Amaro, 55, will formally begin as CEO after Disney’s annual shareholder assembly, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET right this moment. He steps into the lead function after greater than 25 years on the leisure firm, the place he has held roles in finance, enterprise technique, advertising, artistic improvement and operations.

When Disney introduced his appointment as CEO in February, D’Amaro mentioned he was excited to honor Disney’s “exceptional legacy” whereas persevering with to innovate and develop the corporate. Iger served as CEO from 2005 to 2020 and once more from 2022 till March 2026.

D’Amaro shall be answerable for an enormous leisure empire that recorded greater than $90 billion in annual income in fiscal 2025, with companies that embrace theme parks, cruises, motion pictures and a streaming service.

As CEO, D’Amaro might want to leverage Disney’s huge mental property portfolio to create new motion pictures and theme park additions, whereas additionally driving streaming development and persevering with to construct its sports activities enterprise.

He takes over at a time when the leisure large is displaying power on the field workplace, with hits like “Zootopia 2” and the newest “Avatar” movie pulling in billions in income. Disney can be making massive bets on its park enterprise, with plans to take a position throughout its park portfolio and debut a brand new theme park resort in Abu Dhabi. 

Whereas Disney is displaying power in some areas, the corporate’s inventory has fallen 10% this yr, an indication that investor enthusiasm has pale. The corporate can be struggling to draw overseas guests to its theme parks.

Who’s D’Amaro?

D’Amaro, a Medfield, Massachusetts native, graduated from Georgetown College in 1993 with a enterprise administration diploma and began at Disney in 1998.

In a letter despatched to Disney staff on Wednesday, D’Amaro recounted visiting Disneyland as a toddler. 

“Greater than 40 years in the past, my household took me to Disneyland for the primary time. One of many first points of interest we rode was Peter Pan’s Flight, impressed by the animated movie so many households already knew and beloved,” D’Amaro wrote. “It was pleasure. It was household. And it was Disney.”

He added, “I’ve thought of that second many occasions as a result of it captures one thing important about this firm. At its greatest, Disney creates tales, characters, and experiences that folks join with deeply and carry with them for a lifetime.”

His most up-to-date function concerned overseeing Disney’s theme parks and resort motels as chairman of Disney Experiences. That put him answerable for a $60 billion plan announced in 2023 to develop Disney’s home and worldwide parks and cruise line capability over 10 years. He additionally oversaw Disney’s licensing enterprise, which incorporates its partnership with Epic Video games.

As chairman of Disney Experiences, D’Amaro additionally oversaw the buildout of immersive park experiences, together with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the Marvel-themed Avengers Campus.

Disney has referred to the Disney Expertise phase led by D’Amaro because the “largest and fastest-growing enterprise phase” of the corporate. In fiscal yr 2025, it generated $36 billion in annual income, in accordance with Disney.