Disney parks chief Josh D’Amaro will take over for Bob Iger as CEO

Core Insights - Disney has appointed Josh D'Amaro as the new CEO, marking him as the 9th CEO in the company's history, succeeding Bob Iger [1] - D'Amaro has been leading Disney's Experiences division, which generated $36 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2025 and employs 185,000 people globally [1] - The company is currently experiencing success with box-office hits and a strong streaming business, but faces challenges with declining foreign visitors to its domestic theme parks [2] Leadership Transition - D'Amaro's responsibilities will include leveraging Disney's intellectual property for successful movies and theme park expansions, as well as driving growth in streaming and sports [3] - The decision to appoint a new CEO comes after a previous unsuccessful transition that led to Iger's return to the role in 2022 [4] - Disney undertook a thorough succession planning process, starting in 2023, and enlisted James Gorman to lead the search for the new CEO [5] Internal vs External Candidates - Iger will remain as a senior adviser and board member until his retirement at the end of the year, and while external candidates were considered, the expectation was that Disney would promote from within [6] - The internal promotion is seen as beneficial due to the mentorship provided by Iger and the candidates' familiarity with the company's board [6] Unique Challenges - Disney's CEO must manage a diverse entertainment empire while also being a prominent public figure, with D'Amaro and Dana Walden emerging as leading candidates for the role [7]