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Josh D’Amaro Named Disney Company CEO, Dana Walden Named President and CCO

Written by Joshua Posted February 3rd, 2026

The Walt Disney Company named Bob Iger’s successor on Tuesday morning. Josh D’Amaro will become Disney’s next CEO on March 18, 2026. More interestingly, Dana Walden steps into a brand-new, very powerful role as President and Chief Creative Officer.

Josh D’Amaro is about as unsurprising a choice as Disney could make, in a good way. He’s been running Disney Experiences, the company’s biggest money maker, since 2020. He’s spent the last few years overseeing the most aggressive expansion Disney’s parks division has ever seen. In other words, he was the safe, solid pick. Iger praised his successor this morning:

“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO. 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 exemplarym and I am thrilled for Josh and the company.”

The more interesting move is Walden.

Dana Walden, currently Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, will become President and Chief Creative Officer, a newly created role. This effectively puts someone with deep Hollywood relationships directly next to the CEO. Walden is widely respected by creators and studio talent, something that was lacking when Chapek was at the helm as CEO.

“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.”
Bob Iger

Disney has a long track record of pairing creative vision with business acumen. Walt and Roy Disney set the template. Michael Eisner followed it most successfully when he was partnered with Frank Wells, who served as COO from 1984 until his untimely death in 1994. That decade marked one of the most extraordinary periods in the company’s history, delivering unprecedented growth both creatively and financially.

Iger’s contract was set to expire at the end of 2026. Now, he’ll spend his remaining months with the company as a Senior Advisor. Yesterday, he reminded everyone of how far Disney has come since he succeeded Chapek: “The good news is that the company is in much better shape today than it was three years ago.”

He’s confident this succession plan will work better than what followed his first retirement. “We have done a lot of fixing, but also put in place a number of opportunities. In a world that changes as much as it does, in some form or another, trying to preserve the status quo is a mistake, and I’m certain my successor will not do that.”

With D’Amaro focused on operations and growth and Walden anchoring Disney’s creative endeavors, the new structure makes sense. One runs the machine. The other leads innovation. That balance might be exactly what Disney needs. A throwback to two Disney brothers making magic.