Disney is close to naming parks chief Josh D'Amaro as next CEO

The Walt Disney Co. board is aligning on promoting theme-park chairman Josh D'Amaro to chief executive and will vote on the appointment in the coming week, the article reports.

The Walt Disney Co. board is reported to be aligning on promoting theme-park division chairman Josh D'Amaro to CEO and plans to vote on a new leader in the coming week. D'Amaro has led the unit that delivers most of Disney's profits since 2020 and has worked at the company since 1998. The potential appointment would follow Bob Iger's return as CEO in 2022 and conclude a three-year search led by Chairman James Gorman. Disney has said the board has not yet selected the next CEO and will announce a decision when it is made. Known details: - The board is reported to be moving to promote Josh D'Amaro and will vote on naming a new leader in the coming week; the board could still change its mind. - A Disney spokesperson said the board has not yet selected the next CEO and will announce the decision once made. - D'Amaro, 54, joined Disney in 1998 after working at Gillette and rose through leadership roles at resorts in California, Hong Kong and Florida. - As chairman of the experiences division, he is leading a reported $60 billion investment in resort expansion, a plan to nearly double the cruise fleet, and he led the purchase of a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games. - The three-year CEO search has been led by Disney Chairman James Gorman since 2024; Gorman previously oversaw a CEO transition at Morgan Stanley. - Disney is scheduled to report fiscal first-quarter earnings on Monday and has an annual shareholder meeting set for March 18. Summary: If approved by the board, Josh D'Amaro would succeed Bob Iger as CEO. The board plans to vote in the coming week; the company is set to report quarterly results on Monday and holds its annual shareholder meeting on March 18.