Disney Finally Made the Call. Now the Real Test Starts
Disney Finally Made the Call. Now the Real Test Starts.
Disney named Josh D’Amaro as its next CEO, ending a succession process that’s stretched for years.
Boards don’t let a process run that long unless the trade-offs are real. And when they finally land it, despite their best efforts, it’s often less about finding a “perfect” candidate and more about removing uncertainty that starts to slow decisions and soften accountability.
D’Amaro comes from Parks and Experiences, the part of Disney that has held up best through multiple cycles. It’s the cash generator, the pricing power engine, and the segment investors can still underwrite with some confidence.
There’s an important echo here. Bob Chapek, who was appointed CEO in 2020, also came out of the parks organization.
That says something about the skillset boards see in that seat: operational scale, cash discipline, and running a complex, customer-facing machine. It also reinforces a separate lesson: fit matters. Chapek’s style and strategic choices didn’t match what Disney needed in that chapter, and the board waited too long to correct it.
Dana Walden was widely viewed as a serious contender in the succession mix, and the board elevating her into a senior creative role is a strong outcome. It keeps leadership depth in-house and clarifies the lanes: operating and capital stewardship on one side, creative output on the other. Credit to Disney’s board process under James Gorman for keeping the bench intact with minimal drama.
For long-term capital, the question now isn’t “what’s the vision.”
It’s whether this choice restores speed, focus, and accountability across the whole company — and whether the board moves faster this time if it doesn’t.
What’s the earliest sign you look for that the board got the CEO decision right — and won’t repeat the Chapek delay?
🔗Source: Disney Names Josh D'Amaro CEO, Dana Walden President and Chief Creative Officer
