This holiday season, what do you get the Disney corporate executive who has everything? Well, a few of them have something very special and hard to find on their wish list this year, becoming the next CEO of The Walt Disney Company.
Disney has been working on deciding who will replace Bob Iger when he steps down as CEO of Disney at the end of 2026. A final decision is supposed to be made early next year. One of the top candidates for the job is rumored to be Disney Studios co-head Dana Walden, and another is Disney Experiences chief Josh D’Amaro. A great deal has been written about the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the two, and how they compare to each other, something Walden recently told Bloomberg that she’s not a fan of. She said…
Well, being pit against my colleagues, I don’t appreciate, because we have incredible relationships. We are a very tight organization.
With Walden and D’Amaro reportedly the top candidates at the moment, a lot of what has been written in recent months has focused on which one of them would be better at the job. This usually involves comparing their history and pointing out where one candidate may be stronger than another in certain areas.
It’s understandable how that might be a little frustrating, considering we’re talking about people who work together every day, and probably like each other well enough, or might even be very good friends. And there’s a lot of reason for Walden to want to keep a situation like this as amicable as possible. Whoever becomes CEO will likely want to keep whoever doesn’t get the job, because they’re good at what they do, and will have an even closer professional relationship with them.
Disney has reportedly looked outside the company for potential CEO material; however, it doesn't appear that any outside candidates are top-tier picks. Walden’s partner at the studio Alan Horn and ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro have also reportedly been considered, but it doesn’t appear they have strong odds at this point.
Walden seems to indicate that Disney will be just fine regardless of who becomes the next CEO. She doesn’t advocate for herself, but simply calls the Disney team “world class,” something that certainly won’t change drastically after a new CEO is chosen. Walden continued…
I have enormous faith in where this company’s going. There is a world-class team at this company, who is navigating the path into the future.
The last time Disney changed CEOs, it didn't go so well. Bob Chapek took over for Bob Iger in 2020, and while his contract was initially extended, he was ultimately replaced by a returning Bob Iger. Disney appears to be taking its time with this new transition to avoid a repeat of what happened before.
Disney has said that a new CEO will be chosen early in 2026. Once that person has been selected, they'll be working alongside Bob Iger during his final year as CEO, before taking over the company completely when Iger leaves at the end of 2026.
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