This is a year of significant leadership transitions at The Walt Disney Company. A few weeks ago it was announced that Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan would be taking over at Lucasfilm as Kathleen Kennedy steps down, and now a similar adjustment is being made at the parent company.
Josh D’Amaro has been announced as the new CEO of The Walt Disney Company, with Dana Walden stepping into the role of President. They will assume their new roles as Bob Iger retires a second time from running the studio. Iger has long been expected to retire by the end of this year, and more recently there had been increased rumblings of a successor being named sooner than later.
Iger took over as Disney CEO in 2005 and proceeded to lead the famed company to new heights. Under his leadership, Disney acquired Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox. They launched new theme parks, most notably in Asia. They made the jump to the world of streaming with the launch of Disney+. They saw a revitalization of Disney animation. And so much more. He initially retired in 2020 (though remaining on as chairman of the board), passing the mantle to Bob Chapek. It was tumultuous from the start for Chapek (the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t help) and his leadership proved questionable, enough so that the board fired Chapek and brought back Iger as CEO in November 2022. He helped to steady the ship, but it was always the plan for a new succession plan to be plotted – hopefully more successfully this time.
Ironically, when Chapek was hired as CEO, D’Amaro was promoted to replace him as chairman of Disney Experiences. In this role since 2020, D’Amaro, who joined Disney in 1998, has overseen all aspects of the Disney parks experience. The fact that the board has continued to turn to this division when looking at leadership transitions strongly suggests that they view the future of Disney parks as being one of growth and profit. But it does raise some questions, since D’Amaro has little experience on the entertainment side of things, with very little experience working on film and TV – where Disney has long been renowned.
This is likely why Walden was promoted to president and chief creative officer, marking an adjustment to previous leadership structures. Given the fact that Chapek – who also ran Disney Experiences before being promoted to CEO – struggled mightily in connecting to Hollywood creatives, a modified plan this time around seems wise. A longtime FOX executive, Walden was chairman and CEO of FOX Television Group at the time Disney acquired 21st Century FOX. She joined Disney, and over the last few years has been co-chairman of Disney Entertainment alongside Alan Bergman, with Walden focusing on TV and streaming and Bergman on film. Now, Walden will oversee all of it, including film, TV, networks (except ESPN), and streaming. Her role is especially important, given D’Amaro’s inexperience working with creatives.
It seemed in recent months that the CEO decision was going to come down to D’Amaro or Walden, so the fact that both received promotions is interesting, and could make for some interesting dynamics early on.
Star Wars Thoughts 