Disney’s Next CEO Emerges as Theme Park Boss D’Amaro Takes the Lead
After a three-year search, Disney is finally closing in on its “happily ever after” CEO pick. The board is reportedly zeroing in on Josh D’Amaro, the 54-year-old chief of theme parks, cruises, and resorts — the part of the empire that prints most of the profits. Investors are jittery anyway, with the stock dropping 7.4% Monday amid haunting flashbacks of CEO Bob Iger’s last messy handoff disaster.
- Iger teed up a mic-drop exit as beat earnings expectations — powered by record theme park income, a surging streaming business, and several box office hits.
- But the report also showed fresh stress points — entertainment income plummeted amid a YouTube blackout, and tourism headwinds threaten to hit US parks just as expansion costs keep climbing.
Reading the room: Disney’s succession saga arrives amid a broader CEO shuffle sweeping Corporate America — both Walmart and Target named new chiefs this week, but one’s sprinting while the other crawls. Walmart’s incoming leader inherits a booming e-commerce and AI operation, while Target’s new CEO faces a brutal turnaround after three years of declining sales. If Disney’s D’Amaro gets the nod, he inherits a pretty strong hand at least — but also a brutal spotlight. With 75-year-old Iger sailing off to enjoy his yacht, there’s no safety net if this pick flops.