The Magic Kingdom has a new monarch.
The Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday that theme parks chief Josh D’Amaro will succeed Bob Iger, the company’s longtime chief executive. The move effectively closes the curtains on one of the most closely watched succession sagas in corporate America.
D’Amaro is set to take control of a sprawling entertainment empire that includes the Pixar and Marvel studios, the “Star Wars” franchise, the ABC broadcast network, the streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu, a storied library of classic movies and theme parks around the world.
The announcement comes during a turbulent time for the entertainment business and a transitional moment for Hollywood. Disney and other legacy studios are grappling with the decline of broadcast television viewership, the rise of generative artificial intelligence, labor union unrest and scrutiny from Trump administration regulators.
D’Amaro is the chairman of a corporate unit known as Disney Experiences, a role that gives him broad oversight over the company’s cruise ships, resorts, attractions and consumer technologies. He oversees a dozen theme parks and nearly 60 resort hotels across the U.S., Europe and Asia, as well as a planned theme park in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Disney’s parks business has excelled under D’Amaro’s leadership. In its most recent earnings report, released Monday, the domestic parks unit saw record quarterly revenue in the three months ending Dec. 27, while attendance and guest spending also grew year over year.
Outside of parks and cruises, D’Amaro also leads Disney’s consumer products unit, which handles its lucrative licensing business for children’s toys, apparel and home products, according to his online corporate profile.
Daniel Arkin
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