The Walt Disney Company has named Josh D’Amaro, 54, as its next chief executive officer, effective March 18, 2026. A 28-year Disney veteran, D’Amaro most recently led the Experiences segment—comprising theme parks, resorts and cruise lines—which generated more than 70% of the company’s operating income in its most recent quarter. Under his leadership, park attendance rebounded by 25% from pandemic lows and he oversaw the opening of three new attractions in Shanghai and Florida. D’Amaro’s compensation package includes a $2.5 million base salary, a one-time transition bonus of $9.75 million and long-term incentives valued at $26.2 million annually, tied to performance goals such as park revenue growth and guest satisfaction metrics.

Billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, founder of Trian Fund Management, has publicly accused outgoing CEO Bob Iger of engineering the succession to ensure his continued influence. Peltz, whose hedge fund built a roughly $500 million Disney stake during the 2022 streaming downturn, alleges that elevating D’Amaro over entertainment executive Dana Walden was designed to give Iger an excuse to stay on as senior adviser through year-end. This marks Peltz’s third public clash with the company; his previous proxy campaigns in 2022 and 2024—both backed by former Disney chief Ike Perlmutter—were decisively rejected by shareholders, yet he sold his entire position after posting a sizeable profit.

With D’Amaro at the helm, investors will watch how Disney balances its profit-driving parks division against the slower-growing broadcast media segment, which has seen flat subscriber counts over three years. The streaming arm returned to profitability last quarter, narrowing losses by 85% year-over-year, but still trails peers in content investment. Disney’s board chairman, James Gorman, has highlighted that D’Amaro and newly appointed President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden must address challenges in scripted programming and live sports rights negotiations. Market analysts note that clear execution on cost discipline, content rollout and international park expansion will be critical to sustain the 12% share gain achieved since Iger’s 2022 return.