It’s official: Josh D’Amaro has been named the new CEO of The Walt Disney Company. D’Amaro, who many considered to be the favorite for the role, will take over on March 18, 2026. Longtime CEO Bob Iger will stay on as an advisor until his retirement on December 31, 2026.
In addition to the appointment of D’Amaro as CEO, Dana Walden will become President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company. It’s unclear who will take over D’Amaro’s current role as the head of Parks and Experiences. We’d expect that to be announced in the next few months.
Just about every media outlet is going to have their take on The Walt Disney Company’s new CEO. Well, here’s another. We’ve been covering Disney’s parks and cruise ships for roughly eight years, and we’ve seen a lot from D’Amaro. We also saw a lot from former-CEO Bob Chapek. Do we think D’Amaro will be successful? Or crash and fade into the sunset quickly like Chapek?
We’re cautiously optimistic about D’Amaro taking over. His growth through the ranks at Disney has been mostly well-received. His connections with cast members helped fuel his popularity within Disney. When he was President of Walt Disney World, D’Amaro made a big effort to improve cast member break rooms and boost cast member morale.
The story is similar from D’Amaro’s time as the head of Disneyland. D’Amaro was applauded for taking the time to listen and speak with cast members. That’s a stark difference from Chapek, who many didn’t like long before he was appointed CEO.
Disney choosing D’Amaro reflects how important the Parks and Experiences portion of the company is at this time. This segment, which has been the most reliable for years, seems to finally be recognized as a huge driver for Disney. That’s especially true as questions remain over Disney’s broadcast and media side of the company.
Disney’s expansions to Disney Cruise Line and its numerous theme park construction projects reflect this effort. It makes a lot of sense to have a parks guy leading the company when Parks and Experiences are proving to be the big growth opportunity.
But, D’Amaro has his weaknesses. He isn’t as well-versed in the media side of the business. That’s where Dana Walden’s new role and title seems like a smart decision. Disney fans should hope this plays out similar to how former Disney CEO Michael Eisner thrived with the help of Frank Wells. Duos who know what areas they excel in have had a lot of success at Disney.
Is there a great, big, beautiful tomorrow with D’Amaro in charge? We certainly hope so. That said, we don’t expect sweeping changes that suddenly reverse course on Disney’s more polarizing decisions. We understand many (most? all?) of Disney’s recent decisions and direction for the parks have been under D’Amaro. It’d be silly to expect a major shift in direction.
However, we’d like to see D’Amaro improve the perceived value of a Disney parks vacation. Since we know prices aren’t going to drop, it’d be nice to see some changes that make guests feel like they’re getting a decent bang for their buck. The removal of on-site perks (Disney Magical Express, free MagicBands, complimentary FastPass, etc) has eroded that sense of value. D’Amaro could generate a TON of goodwill by making some relatively small changes.
Finally, as we wrap up this stream of thought, we think D’Amaro was the best choice for the job. That’s not saying he’s the perfect fit for the job, but he certainly seems to be the best of the rumored candidates. Disney fans really, really didn’t want an external name with no theme park experience taking the job. Those complaining about D’Amaro have no idea how bad it could have been.
Let’s all give D’Amaro a shot and see what happens. It has to go better than Chapek, right?
