Bloomberg News reported on Sunday that Walt Disney’s DIS board is nearly set to elevate theme-park division chief Joshua D’Amaro to chief executive officer and will cast a vote on a new leader next week. Reuters was not able to confirm the report immediately. Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Investors have raised questions regarding succession planning at the media conglomerate as Disney has postponed the retirement of successor CEO Bob Iger multiple times before bringing him back in 2022 to replace his own hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek, after the pandemic stifled its business.
According to the official website, D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences, oversees Disney parks and resort hotels in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
According to Bloomberg, a Disney spokesperson stated in an emailed announcement, “The board has not yet selected the next CEO of the Walt Disney Co., and once that decision is made, we will announce it.”
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Iger intends to retire as CEO and step down from day-to-day management before his contract expires on December 31.
The Wall Street Journal also informed that the board of the entertainment giant is scheduled to meet next week at its headquarters in Burbank, California, and they are likely to vote on who would succeed Iger.
Disney stated in 2024 about its plans to replace Iger in early 2026, marking the first time in the history of the venerable media and entertainment company that a succession timeline had been formally announced.
Reuters had earlier noted that D’Amaro had also been the CEO candidate, an executive who had Iger-like charisma, and whose portfolio contained the largest source of revenue in the company, its theme parks.
