Josh D'Amaro Takes the Helm as Disney CEO: What It Means for the Parks

Josh D’Amaro officially became The Walt Disney Company’s new Chief Executive Officer today, March 18, 2026, at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Burbank. He succeeds Bob Iger, who spent nearly two decades leading the company across two separate stints.

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New Leadership Structure D’Amaro’s First Message to Cast Members What It Means for the Parks Related Articles

D’Amaro, 55, has spent 28 years at Disney, starting in Disneyland’s accounting department in 1998. He rose through finance, marketing, and operations roles before becoming chairman of Disney Experiences in 2020, overseeing the company’s theme parks, cruise ships, resort hotels, and consumer products. Disney Experiences generated $36 billion in annual revenue in fiscal year 2025, making it the company’s largest business segment.

The Disney board voted unanimously in February 2026 to elect D’Amaro as CEO after a succession process that began in early 2023. He becomes the ninth person to lead the company in its 102-year history.

New Leadership Structure

Alongside D’Amaro’s appointment, Dana Walden was named President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company, also effective March 18. Walden previously served as Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment, overseeing the company’s media, news, content, and streaming businesses globally. The role of President is a historic first for Disney, with Walden becoming the first woman to hold the position. She reports directly to D’Amaro.

Thomas Mazloum, who served as President of Disneyland Resort, was named Chairman of Disney Experiences, succeeding D’Amaro in that role. Also effective March 18, Mazloum now leads a global portfolio that includes Disney’s theme parks, cruise ships, resort hotels, expeditions, consumer products, and Walt Disney Imagineering. The appointment was announced March 10 by Disney via a press release on thewaltdisneycompany.com.

Iger transitions to a Senior Advisor role and remains a member of the Disney Board until his retirement on December 31, 2026.

D’Amaro’s First Message to Cast Members

On his first day as CEO, D’Amaro sent a company-wide memo to employees and cast members, obtained and published by multiple outlets including CNBC and Reuters. The memo laid out three priorities for the company.

He outlined them as: “great storytelling and creative excellence will remain our North Star”; embracing technology “to unlock new possibilities” including creating “more immersive, interactive, and personal ways for people to experience Disney”; and operating as “One Disney,” where all global businesses work in a connected way.

In the memo, D’Amaro opened with a personal anecdote about his first visit to Disneyland as a child, riding Peter Pan’s Flight with his father. He described that experience as capturing what Disney does best: “stories, characters, and experiences that people connect with deeply and carry with them for a lifetime.”

“As I step into the CEO role today, I am humbled and honored to help write the next chapter of this company alongside this team,” D’Amaro wrote in the memo.

What It Means for the Parks

D’Amaro spent six years leading Disney Experiences before becoming CEO, and the parks division drove his elevation to the top role. According to CNBC, the parks business represents 57% of Disney’s total profit from last year’s $17.5 billion. During his time leading Experiences, D’Amaro spearheaded the current $60 billion expansion plan covering cruise ships, theme parks, resort lands, and attractions globally, including a new park planned for Abu Dhabi.

With Mazloum now leading Disney Experiences, the parks division transitions to a leader who previously oversaw Disney Cruise Line’s fleet expansion and most recently ran Disneyland Resort through its 70th anniversary celebration. D’Amaro expressed confidence in the pick, calling Mazloum “the right leader to guide Disney Experiences into its next chapter.”

Analysts noted the pairing of D’Amaro with Walden as a deliberate structure: D’Amaro brings operational expertise from parks while Walden brings creative and content leadership from television and streaming. TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz wrote that the partnership will be “critical” to Disney’s next chapter.

D’Amaro takes over a company navigating declining linear TV revenue, streaming competition from YouTube and TikTok, and questions about artificial intelligence’s impact on creative industries. He inherits the $60 billion parks expansion, a recently profitable Disney+ streaming service, and a slate of theatrical releases to manage.

His pay package is approximately $38.5 million, including a $2.5 million base salary, a $26.3 million annual long-term stock incentive, and a one-time award of $9.7 million. He is also eligible for an annual performance bonus worth up to 250% of his base salary.

Source: The Walt Disney Company – Disney Experiences Leadership Changes