There are two new people leading the charge at Disney now — Josh D'Amaro succeeds Bob Iger as the CEO of Walt Disney Co., and Dana Walden will serve as the President and CCO, succeeding Jared Bush.
The announcements were made by Disney on Tuesday, February 3, especially concluding a two-year search for Bob's successor. They will assume the positions on March 18, 2026 following a Disney meeting, with Bob, 74, stepping into the role of senior adviser before his retirement come December.
Who is Josh D'Amaro?
Josh, 54, has worked with the Disney Corporation for nearly three decades, first joining the company in 1998 as Vice President of Sales and Travel Trade Marketing, five years after graduating from Georgetown University with a degree in Business Administration.
In 2008, he became CFO of Disney Consumer Products Licensing. From 2010 onwards, he began working extensively with the many Disney parks and resorts. And in 2017, he was promoted to the CCO of Walt Disney World Resort.
Before his announcement as the new CEO, Josh was the head of Disney's global theme parks and the consumer products division.
What will his salary be?
The company revealed the pay packages for its two new appointments alongside their announcement as well. Josh will receive an annual base salary of $2.5 million. But that's not all!
As CEO, he will be eligible for an annual, performance-based bonus, one that can go as high as 250% of his base annual salary (up to $6.25 million). Plus, for each fiscal year he serves as CEO, Josh will receive a long-term stock incentive of $26.2 million. He will also receive a one-time incentive pay of $9.7 million to mark his promotion.
If his bonus achieves the maximum target, that's an annual pay package coming in just under $45 million. His predecessor's own package in his final fiscal year just surpassed $45 million as well, although a majority of that sum came through stock options and bonuses, with his base salary actually coming in around $1 million.
What will Dana Walden's salary be?
As for Dana, she is also going to serve as co-chair of Disney Entertainment along with CCO and President of the Corporation, directly reporting to Josh.
Her employment agreement extends until 2030, and she will receive an annual base salary of $3.75 million. She will also receive the same perks that Josh will, including an annual performance-based bonus with a target as high as 200%, a stock incentive of $15.75 million, and an incentive pay of $5.26 million.
Who is Dana Walden?
Dana previously served as Chairman and CEO of Fox Television Group. She began working with Disney in 2019 and was named co-chair of Disney Entertainment in 2023.
She was also in the running to become the company's CEO, and if appointed, she would've been Walt Disney Co.'s very first female CEO. On a more timely note, she was also responsible for briefly pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air, although the late night host has since credited her for being respectful and inclusive in her decision to protect the show, and endorsed her for CEO.
Dana is currently also a member of the President's Export Council (appointed during the Joe Biden administration) and a member of the board for Live Nation Entertainment.