by Joe Tracy, editor of Theme Park Magazine
The Walt Disney Company announced Monday that Josh D’Amaro, the 54-year-old chairman of Disney Experiences, will become the company’s next chief executive officer on March 18, 2026. The decision caps a multi-year succession-planning process and marks a return to promoting from within after the tumultuous 2020-2022 period, which saw Bob Chapek’s brief tenure end with Bob Iger’s return.
D’Amaro’s appointment carries particular weight. He’s inheriting a company that generates $94.4 billion in annual revenue but faces pressures from declining traditional television, rising production costs, and franchise fatigue. Disney stock has declined roughly 40% over the past five years. Yet the board expressed unanimous confidence in the park executive who has spent nearly three decades mastering different facets of the entertainment giant.
“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,” said James Gorman, chairman of Disney’s board, in the company’s press release.
(photo by Joe Tracy for ©Theme Park Magazine)
The Georgetown Graduate Who Found His Calling
D’Amaro didn’t start out dreaming of theme parks. Born February 10, 1971, in Massachusetts, he graduated from Georgetown University in 1993 with a degree in business administration. His first job was in finance at the Gillette Company in Boston. Standard corporate trajectory. Nothing magical about razor blades.
That changed in 1998 when he joined Disney at the Disneyland Resort. The company’s own materials note he had “the worst portfolio of anyone that had ever applied for a job in animation.” But animation wasn’t his path. From 1998 to 2008, D’Amaro held various leadership positions focused on sales and travel trade marketing. Between 2005 and 2006, he also served as director of business planning and strategy development.
In 2008, D’Amaro shifted to Disney Consumer Products, becoming chief financial officer of the licensing business. He held that position for two years, gaining crucial financial experience that would prove valuable later. By 2010, the trajectory became clear. D’Amaro was promoted to vice president of Adventures by Disney, overseeing group guided tours to domestic and international destinations from a base in Celebration, Florida.
Building Animal Kingdom and Beyond
The real transformation happened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. From 2013 to 2014, D’Amaro served as the park’s vice president during a critical period. Pandora: The World of Avatar was being planned as the largest expansion in Animal Kingdom’s history. The ambitious project, a partnership between Disney and filmmaker James Cameron, required massive coordination between creative teams, operations, and construction.
After Pandora’s construction began, D’Amaro moved up again in September 2014, becoming senior vice president of resort and transportation operations at Walt Disney World Resort. He held that position until February 2017, managing the complex logistics of moving millions of guests across the sprawling Florida property.
Then the promotions accelerated. In 2017, D’Amaro became chief commercial officer of Walt Disney World Resort. A year later, in 2018, he transferred to California as president of Disneyland Park in Anaheim. That role lasted 18 months before he returned to Florida as president of Walt Disney World Resort.
On the day he was named Disneyland president in 2018, the outgoing president, Michael Colglazier, arranged lunch on the deck of Walt Disney’s apartment above the fire station on Main Street U.S.A. They ate grilled cheese sandwiches, one of Walt’s favorite meals.
“I can remember – and to this day, I feel the same thing – feeling the heavy awe of the moment and the responsibility that I had to carry on the legacy of this place,” D’Amaro said in a past interview.
Taking the Reins During COVID
May 18, 2020, marked D’Amaro’s biggest promotion to date. He succeeded Bob Chapek as chairman of Disney Experiences when Chapek became CEO. The timing was brutal. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced widespread closures across Disney’s global theme park operations.
On September 29, 2020, Disney announced it would lay off 28,000 theme park employees. Disneyland Resort in California remained closed and unable to reopen, while other Disney parks around the world were beginning phased reopenings. Cast members and staff were furloughed with no clear timeline for return.
D’Amaro took a unique approach to the closures. Rather than simply waiting for restrictions to lift, he pushed forward with improvements and new additions. World of Frozen opened at Hong Kong Disneyland in November 2023. Tokyo DisneySea’s Fantasy Springs arrived in Japan in June 2024. These weren’t small projects that could be quickly executed. They required vision and commitment during the industry’s darkest period.
By April 30, 2021, Disneyland Park in Anaheim reopened, marking the final Disney resort to reopen after the initial closures. Disneyland Paris reopened on June 17 after a second closure in October. All Disney parks were finally operating again.
(photo by Joe Tracy for ©Theme Park Magazine)
The $60 Billion Vision
As chairman of Disney Experiences, D’Amaro oversees a division that generated $36 billion in annual revenue during fiscal 2025. The segment employs 185,000 cast members and staff worldwide across 12 theme parks and 57 resort hotels.
His portfolio extends beyond the parks themselves. Disney Signature Experiences includes Disney Cruise Line, which is expanding from seven to 13 ships by 2031, as well as two island destinations. Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, Disney Institute, and Storyliving by Disney all report through D’Amaro’s organization.
Walt Disney Imagineering, the legendary creative team behind theme park design and development, also reported to him. The group’s research and development division pioneers next-generation technologies and experiences.
D’Amaro has been driving a multi-year, $60 billion investment in Disney Experiences. Under his leadership as chairman, major projects have opened, including Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure in June 2021, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland in January 2023, and World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland in November 2023. During his time in various park leadership roles before becoming chairman, D’Amaro was also involved in the development of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened in 2019.
Future projects include a Monsters, Inc.-themed land at Disney Hollywood Studios, a new Avatar destination at Disneyland Resort, and expanded areas inspired by Cars and Disney Villains as part of the largest Magic Kingdom expansion in history.
The division also manages Disney Consumer Products, which houses the world’s leading licensing business for toys, apparel, and home goods. This includes the groundbreaking partnership with Epic Games to build a persistent digital universe within Fortnite’s ecosystem.
“We envision this as a world or a universe that I think can be important not only to (the) game space, but to the Walt Disney Company,” D’Amaro said in a 2024 interview about the Epic Games collaboration.
D’Amaro is also laying the groundwork for Disney’s first Middle East resort in Abu Dhabi.
Not Without Missteps
D’Amaro’s record isn’t perfect. In 2021, he supported a proposal to relocate 2,000 California-based employees, including most theme park Imagineers, to central Florida to capitalize on tax incentives. Bob Iger later reversed that decision during Disney’s legal battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Ticket price increases have drawn criticism as consumers feel economic pressure. Last year, Comcast’s NBCUniversal opened Universal Epic Universe, a $7 billion theme park near Walt Disney World, intensifying competition. International visitor numbers to U.S. Disney parks have also declined.
Beyond operational missteps, D’Amaro faces broader questions about the guest experience. Over his tenure as chairman, numerous complimentary services have been eliminated or converted to paid options. Critics point to the end of free FastPass in favor of paid Lightning Lane systems, the elimination of Disney’s Magical Express airport service, and the introduction of park reservation requirements as examples of the parks becoming more transactional and less spontaneous.
The Succession Drama
Disney’s CEO succession has been complicated. In 2020, the board selected Bob Chapek to replace Bob Iger. That lasted less than three years. Clashes, missteps, and weakening financial performance forced Iger’s return in November 2022.
This time, Disney took a more methodical approach. The board formed a succession planning committee in January 2023. James Gorman, who served as Disney’s chairman after leading Morgan Stanley, led the effort beginning in 2024. The committee met regularly to evaluate internal and external candidates, transition structures, and organizational frameworks.
D’Amaro and Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, quickly emerged as frontrunners. Both underwent rigorous preparation, including extensive mentorship from Iger, external coaching, and direct engagement with all board directors.
While external candidates were considered, Disney ultimately chose to promote from within. The advantage: D’Amaro already knew the company intimately and had been mentored by Iger while maintaining relationships with all 15 board members.
(photo courtesy of ©The Walt Disney Company)
Dana Walden’s New Role
Concurrent with D’Amaro’s appointment, Dana Walden has been named president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Company, a newly created position. She will report directly to D’Amaro.
As co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, Walden has led Disney’s entertainment, news, and content businesses globally, including its streaming operations. She joined Disney in 2019 after spending 25 years at 21st Century Fox, where she served as CEO of Fox Television Group.
“I think if you think about what is the heart of the Disney company, it’s the creativity. It’s this amazing IP that’s been produced over decades, going back to Walt, and the storytelling that comes from that creativity,” Gorman told CNBC. “And I think Dana, working with Josh and ensuring that the best creativity permeates all of our businesses, is what we wanted.”
The decision to create this role rather than name co-CEOs reflects Disney’s belief that creativity must remain central to every business decision.
The Mayor of Main Street
Those who know D’Amaro describe a leader who connects with people at every level. On a tour of Disneyland, he can barely walk two blocks down Main Street U.S.A. without someone stopping him. Whether recognized from the hotel’s welcome videos or his convention appearances, visitors clamor for photographs, as if he were a Disney character.
His leadership style has been compared to Bob Iger’s affable approach rather than Bob Chapek’s more corporate demeanor. One former Imagineer told Reuters that “Disney runs through his blood.”
D’Amaro serves on the national board of directors for Make-A-Wish America, which has partnered with Disney to grant more than 170,000 wishes over 45 years. He’s also a member of the United States Travel Association Leadership Roundtable.
A Historic Moment
D’Amaro will become only the eighth person to serve as chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, though this marks the ninth CEO tenure in the company’s history. Bob Iger held the role in two separate tenures, from 2005 to 2020 and again from 2022 to 2026.
The complete list of Disney CEOs by tenure:
- Roy O. Disney (1929-1971)
- Donn B. Tatum (1971-1976)
- E. Cardon Walker (1976-1983)
- Ron W. Miller (1983-1984)
- Michael Eisner (1984-2005)
- Robert A. Iger (2005-2020)
- Bob Chapek (2020-2022)
- Robert A. Iger (2022-2026)
- Josh D’Amaro (March 18, 2026)
What Comes Next
D’Amaro inherits challenges that extend beyond theme parks. He has limited experience running cable and broadcast television networks, streaming services, or movie production. That absence of experience made Chapek’s tenure more difficult and contributed to Iger’s return.
Hollywood is wrestling with creative upheaval from generative artificial intelligence. Competitors like Netflix, Paramount, Skydance, and Warner Bros. Discovery are consolidating and expanding. Star Wars and Marvel franchises have shown signs of fatigue at the box office and on Disney+.
Yet Disney’s board expressed confidence. The company is supposedly stronger now than it was three years ago, when Iger returned. The streaming business has achieved sustained profitability. The film studios are rebuilding momentum. ESPN is positioning itself as a premier digital destination for sports fans. And Disney Experiences continues to generate the majority of the company’s profits.
“I am immensely grateful to the Board for entrusting me with leading a company that means so much to me and millions around the world,” D’Amaro said in the press release. “Disney’s strength has always come from our people and the creative excellence that defines our stories and experiences. There is no limit to what Disney can achieve, and I am excited to work with our teams across the company and brilliant creative partners to honor Disney’s remarkable legacy while continuing to innovate, grow, and deliver exceptional value for our consumers and shareholders.”
Bob Iger will continue as senior advisor and board member until his retirement from the company on December 31, 2026. After nearly two decades leading Disney across two separate tenures, his era officially closes at year’s end.
D’Amaro has said he was inspired by the magic he experienced visiting Disneyland as a child with his father, who promised him, “You’re going to feel like you’re flying.” That experience stayed with him and shaped his view of his responsibilities at Disney.
“We’re thinking about these investments,” D’Amaro said, “making sure that the next generation is going to take in something and say, ‘I can’t believe that experience.'”
On March 18, the kid from Massachusetts who once had the worst animation portfolio anyone had ever seen will run one of the world’s most powerful entertainment companies. Walt Disney himself might appreciate that kind of story.
Editor’s Note
Theme Park Magazine welcomes Josh D’Amaro as the next CEO of The Walt Disney Company. His deep experience across Disney’s parks division and his genuine connection with both cast members and guests give us hope for the future.
The Disney theme park experience has changed considerably over the past six or seven years. What once felt effortlessly magical has increasingly become transactional. Consider the evidence: FastPass+, which allowed guests to skip lines at no charge, was eliminated in 2021 and replaced with paid Genie+ and Lightning Lane systems. Disney’s Magical Express, the complimentary airport shuttle service that welcomed guests upon arrival in Orlando, ended in January 2022. Park reservation requirements replaced the spontaneity of deciding which park to visit on any given day. MagicBands, once a complimentary perk for resort guests, became an optional purchase. Early entry for Disneyland Resort guests was eliminated. The list goes on.
Price increases have outpaced quality improvements. What was once included in the base experience has been carved out and monetized. The simple joy of a day at a Disney park has become more complicated, more expensive, and at times, less magical.
D’Amaro has the opportunity to recapture what made Disney parks special in the first place. Not through more upcharges or additional systems, but by remembering Walt’s original vision: creating happiness through excellent storytelling and genuine hospitality. The magic was never in the technology or the revenue optimization. It was the feeling guests had when they walked through the gates.
We hope D’Amaro’s leadership brings back that feeling. The parks need it. Guests deserve it. And Disney’s legacy depends on it.
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- Article: How Disney Stumbled – Fans are asking, “Has Disney Lost Its Way?” (Rolling Stone)
- Article: Josh D’Amaro Named Next Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company (The Walt Disney Company)
The pictures behind Josh D’Amaro in the feature image were taken by Joe Tracy for © Theme Park Magazine.
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