Disney names Josh D'Amaro CEO and Dana Walden president after reviewing 100+ candidates
Feb 6, 2026
Key Points
- Disney's board unanimously names Josh D'Amaro, who runs parks and consumer products, as CEO and Dana Walden, co-chairman of entertainment, as president and chief creative officer after reviewing over 100 candidates.
- The succession process took a decade but accelerated Monday when the board voted immediately rather than wait until Thursday, with Gorman citing eagerness to end uncertainty.
- Internal concern persists that D'Amaro's parks background could repeat Bob Chapek's failed CEO tenure, while Disney's film division worries about Walden overseeing a business outside her prior experience.
Summary
Disney's board unanimously named Josh D'Amaro as CEO and Dana Walden as president and chief creative officer, concluding a decade-long succession process that reviewed over 100 candidates. D'Amaro, who chairs the parks and consumer products business, will take the top job. Walden, co-chairman of the entertainment business, moves into the newly created role of president and chief creative officer, a position no one has held at Disney in 20 years. She receives a retention bonus worth $5.3 million.
The succession committee, led by board chairman James Gorman, conducted formal interviews and intimate lunches with candidates, including three 360-degree reviews where Disney executives spoke with subordinates, colleagues, and supervisors. The four internal finalists alongside D'Amaro and Walden were entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman and ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro.
The board voted Monday to announce the result immediately rather than wait for a scheduled Thursday vote. Gorman said the board was eager to resolve the uncertainty. "We were ready to go and I didn't like sitting there with the news."
Inside Disney, questions remain about D'Amaro's background. He ran the parks division, the same role Bob Chapek held before his short tenure as CEO. The company's movies division is also uncertain about Walden overseeing a business she has not worked in previously. Disney's leadership prioritized keeping both finalists with the company during the process, mindful of the disruption that followed when Chapek departed after his CEO stint.