• by Wayne Friedman , Yesterday

Walt Disney's new CEO will be Josh D’Amaro, the current chairman of Disney Experiences. The announcement has been expected.

He will replace longtime CEO Bob Iger, who is currently completing his second stint on the job.

D'Amaro, a 28- year veteran, will move into the post on March 18. Reports say Iger, whose term originally was scheduled through December 31, was pushing to leave earlier.

In addition, Dana Walden will be promoted to president/chief creative officer. She had been co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. Reports suggested she was also considered for the top CEO position.

Iger returned to the job after a financially tumultuous two-year period from 2020 to 2022 when Bob Chapek took over. Iger remained executive chairman at the company for a year after stepping down in 2020.

Iger returned as CEO after the company board ousted Chapek, in a surprise move. This came after a poor fourth-quarter earnings report that reported a $1.5 billion loss for its direct to consumer streaming business (Disney+, Hulu).

Disney stock sank 13% on the day. Chapek's senior staffing shift, which hurt the morale of Disney’s creative talent, was also called into question.

Iger’s initial stint at the company (2005-2020) witnessed major transformative changes at the company. Iger instituted major acquisitions Pixar (2006), Marvel (2009), Lucasfilm (2012), and 21st Century Fox (2019). Iger also launched the Disney+ streaming service.

D’Amaro has been credited with reviving Disney Parks & Experiences after the crushing pandemic period, which began in 2020 when the parks were all closed.

He headed up a business that grew quickly globally, starting up other parks and experiences. Among many efforts, under a major $60 billion investment plan, a new park-area will come online -- including a “Monsters Inc.” themed-land at Magic Kingdom and a new Disney theme park in Abu Dhabi.

In 2025, the business segment hit a revenue record of $36 billion, becoming the company’s largest business segment.

Disney theme parks have always been a core revenue driver of the company going back to its beginnings in the 1950s.