Who Is Josh D’Amaro? A Look at Disney’s New CEO

Josh D'Amaro has officially been named as the next CEO of the Walt Disney Corporation pending Bob Iger's resignation next month.

The American businessman is currently the Chairman of Disney Experiences, one of three main divisions of the Walt Disney Corportation—and the one that deals with Disney's multiple theme parks and vacation experiences.

D'Amaro was chosen to succeed Disney's long-time CEO Bob Iger after a hard-fought succession contest, with his success likely coming down to Disney Experiences' hugely successful $60 billion expansion across cruises, parks, and resorts—which D'Amaro was primarily responsible for.

Alongside D'Amaro, his co-chairman at Disney Experiences Dana Walden will be promoted to President and Chief Creative Officer.

Josh D'Amaro's Career at Disney

D'Amaro started working for the Walt Disney Corporation in 1998, and quickly ascended to various leadership positions, including sales and travel trade marketing. In 2010, he became Vice President of Adventures by Disney, a subsidiary of Disney Experiences that deals with cruises and vacations.

From 2017 to 2020, D'Amaro was intermittently in charge of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland in California. When Bob Chapek briefly succeeded Bob Iger in 2020, D'Amaro was promoted to Chapek's previous role as Chairman of Disney Experiences.

James Gorman, Chairman of Disney's Board of Directors, said: "Josh D’Amaro possesses that rare combination of inspiring leadership and innovation, a keen eye for strategic growth opportunities, and a deep passion for the Disney brand and its people – all of which make him the right person to take the helm as Disney’s next CEO."

Bob Iger said: "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 exemplary and I am thrilled for Josh and the company.”

What A New CEO Means For Disney

Crucially, the Walt Disney Corporation is much more than its movies and television departments. The company makes a huge portion of its profit from parks, experiences, products, and merchandise—so D'Amaro's background at Disney Experiences could be a huge profit-bringer for the company.

Unlike Bob Iger, D'Amaro has no history with the creative side of Disney. Where Iger was previously the President of ABC and led Disney's acquisitions of Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar, D'Amaro's career has been almost entirely focused on business. The new CEO referenced this fundamental change following the announcement:

"This goes back to Walt when he envisioned what this company ultimately was going to be [...] He had storytelling and content in the middle and all of these businesses surrounding it, such that we could stay with the consumer, wherever they were, literally in the world."

He also expressed his intention to keep a close relationship with Disney Entertainment's leading creatives—which Bob Chapek was heavily criticized for not doing.

D'Amaro and Walden will be promoted to their new positions on March 18, 2026, when Bob Iger reduces his role solely to being a board member. He will retire fully at the end of the year.