For the past several years, Josh D’Amaro has been running the engine of Disney’s business. But it’s not a movie studio or a slate of streaming channels. It’s the company’s lucrative and iconic theme parks.
Now, the longtime Disney executive is set to take the top job.
The Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday that D’Amaro will become CEO on March 18, succeeding Bob Iger after a carefully choreographed succession process.
He is taking over at a moment when streaming, film and sports media remain in flux and big studios and networks are struggling to predict how audiences will be consuming media three years from now.
The uncertainty makes D’Amaro’s success with the theme parks all the more valuable to the company.
As Disney embarks on its largest global parks expansion ever — a roughly $60 billion, decadelong investment that includes new cruise ships, domestic expansions and a planned resort in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — the board is betting that the executive leading the company’s most reliable business line is the right person to take over the whole show.
“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO,” Iger said in a news release. “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.”
Michael Eisner, who was Disney’s CEO from 1984 to 2005, also weighed in on the decision, writing on X: “My advice to Josh is [to] continue Bob Iger’s strategy that creativity will handle profits, always protect the brand, and keep close the words of Walt Disney: ‘We love to entertain kings and queens, but the vital thing to remember is this—every guest receives the VIP treatment.’ Good luck.”
Disney’s succession planning has been under close scrutiny after its last leadership transition ended when CEO Bob Chapek — hand-selected by Iger in 2020 — was ousted after less than three years on the job.
Like D’Amaro, Chapek previously led the parks business before he was promoted to CEO. That history has sharpened the board’s focus this time on ensuring a smoother transition and continuity from Iger’s tenure in the top.
Disney’s stock has struggled to gain traction despite Iger’s return. Shares are trading around $103, down about 9% over the past year — a sign that the company’s turnaround is still very much a work in progress.
