Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro has assembled a team working to win over Wall Street and brand enthusiasts.
The Mouse House’s leader, who took over in March, has highlighted the importance of creating new franchises, unifying teams, and investing in video games while leaning into AI.
D’Amaro has already made his mark by unveiling a new structure that puts its gaming arm within Disney Entertainment, which contains its streaming, film, and TV businesses. This revamped division is run by Dana Walden, the company’s first-ever chief creative officer, a respected content exec who previously oversaw Disney’s TV unit.
D’Amaro, who’d been the Disney Experiences chairman, was chosen for the CEO seat over Walden and took over for longtime top executive Bob Iger.
Under Iger, Disney transformed into a Hollywood powerhouse by acquiring Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars. Disney shares quadrupled in the 2010s as Wall Street cheered the company’s rising profits and its emerging streaming business. Iger retired in early 2020 as a hero, only to return less than three years later after his chosen successor flopped.
D’Amaro has big shoes to fill and a daunting path ahead, as Disney’s stock is down 42% in the last five years. The company has frustrated some fans with steady price hikes at its parks, a sequel-heavy movie slate, and a series of political controversies. And less than a month after D’Amaro took over, Disney announced layoffs.
To better understand D’Amaro’s strategy, it helps to know who’s implementing it. Business Insider has viewed Disney’s internal organizational chart, based on screenshots sent by an employee.
D’Amaro has 10 direct reports, including Walden, ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro, and D’Amaro’s successor in the Experiences division, Thomas Mazloum.
Below are full org charts showing direct reports under D’Amaro and Walden, according to Disney’s records. In between the tables are notes about what some of these leaders have been working on, based on reporting from Business Insider.
Here are D’Amaro’s direct reports, in alphabetical order by first name:
Mazloum has stepped into D’Amaro’s former role atop Disney’s parks, cruises, and products division. The former Disneyland president first joined the company in 1998, spent 15 years as an executive at Crystal Cruises, and returned to Disney in 2017. His challenge is to keep growing profits in the parks without irritating guests by raising prices too far.
Pitaro, who some considered a dark-horse candidate for Disney’s top job, oversees ESPN and its transition to streaming. After being the backbone of the pay-TV bundle for years, ESPN became available as a stand-alone app for the first time last summer and added more than 2 million subscribers in its first six weeks, according to subscription data firm Antenna.
Pitaro must navigate steadily rising sports rights fees and an ever-shifting media landscape. ESPN wasn’t immune from the April layoffs.
Ayaz, Disney’s marketing and brand chief, had his unit hit especially hard by job cuts as the company shifted to a “unified marketing organization.” This change was designed to “unlock innovation, reduce complexity, and build critical capabilities,” Ayaz told employees.
Here are Walden’s direct reports, in alphabetical order by first name:
As creative chief, Walden oversees Disney’s film and TV slate and is in charge of helping foster the “breakthrough creative storytelling” that D’Amaro has said is a priority.
Alan Bergman, the Mouse House’s film chief, is also tasked with boosting Disney’s box-office magic. In his 21 years as studio president, Disney has had 28 different billion-dollar box-office hits, including smash hits like the Marvel “Avengers” series, generation-defining successes like “Moana,” and Pixar grand slams like “Inside Out 2.” However, some of Disney’s once-bankable franchises like Star Wars and Marvel are no longer sure bets.
As part of the Disney Entertainment reshuffling, longtime TV exec Debra OConnell was elevated to the new role of chair of Disney Entertainment Television, overseeing brands such as ABC and Disney Kids & Family.
Walden has empowered Adam Smith, the Entertainment division’s tech and product chief, and former Hulu president Joe Earley as co-presidents of the direct-to-consumer business. Both report to Walden and Bergman. Smith reports to Pitaro as well, since he’s also ESPN’s tech chief.
Smith is at the forefront of Disney’s tech push, including its AI strategy. Disney is preparing to launch an AI-generated ad creation tool on Disney+, which Smith told staffers will help small businesses make ads on a budget.
Disney is also revamping its flagship streamer by further integrating Hulu, though Smith recently said the company isn’t yet making Disney+ a one-stop shop for buying park tickets.
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