Who is Disney's next CEO, Josh D'Amaro?
D'Amaro currently oversees 185,000 employees across 12 theme parks and leads $60B expansion strategy
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Disney on Tuesday tapped Josh D’Amaro to succeed veteran CEO Bob Iger, who will retire at the end of the year.
D’Amaro climbed the ranks at the entertainment giant after starting in finance at Disneyland Resort in the late 1990s under Iger.
Iger announced Tuesday that he will retire from the company at the end of the year, with D’Amaro taking over as CEO effective March 2026. Iger, 74, will retire on Dec. 31, 2026, after having first joined the company in 1996.
D’Amaro will continue to serve in his role as chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products until he becomes CEO.
Josh D'Amaro, chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, speaks during Day 2 of the D23 Brazil: A Disney Experience at Transamerica Expo Center on Nov. 9, 2024, in São Paulo, Brazil. (Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images for Disney)
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As chairman, D’Amaro oversees 185,000 cast members, employees and "Imagineers" "who make up the creative engine and long-term growth driver" for Disney, according to his LinkedIn profile. In this role, he also oversees 12 theme parks and 57 resort hotels across six global destinations in the U.S., Europe and Asia, plus a future landmark Disney theme park coming to Abu Dhabi.
Josh D'Amaro at the SXSW Conference & Festivals in the Austin Convention Center on March 8, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Adam Kissick/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
In this role, he also leads Disney Signature Experiences, which encompasses family travel and leisure experiences beyond the theme parks and includes Disney Cruise Line, which consists of five ships and two island destinations as well as Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney and Storyliving by Disney.
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He is also responsible for Disney Consumer Products, which includes its global licensing business and the company’s digital games and apps unit, which was highlighted by its partnership with Epic Games.
Bob Iger, chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Co., arrives for the Allen and Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 8, 2025. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
D’Amaro was tasked with spearheading the company’s strategy to "turbocharge" Disney Experiences, creating experiences for audiences through a 10-year, $60 billion investment in new attractions, lands, hotels, cruise ships and technology. His job also included working with the company’s film and TV studio creative leads, together with Walt Disney Imagineering, to bring Disney’s most popular creative assets to life.
Disney applauded D’Amaro for being an "instrumental" part in expanding Disney’s iconic franchises through the creation of immersive, story-driven experiences such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the Marvel-themed Avengers Campus, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and World of Frozen, according to his bio page.
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After graduating from Georgetown University with a business degree, D’Amaro began his career at Disneyland Resort in 1998, according to his bio page on Disney's website. Since then, he has climbed the ranks and held leadership roles across the U.S. and internationally in finance, business strategy, marketing, creative development and operations. A longtime Disney executive, his previous roles include president of Disneyland Resort and president of Walt Disney World Resort.
A statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse stands in a garden in front of Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World on April 3, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
D'Amaro's work expands beyond Disney. He currently serves on the National Board of Directors for Make-A-Wish America. The non-profit has been a long-time Disney partner that has granted more than 170,000 wishes in the past 45 years.
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D'Amaro is also a member of the United States Travel Association Leadership Roundtable.
Disney shares are down more than 9% year to date.