Dana Walden Doesn’t Appreciate Being ‘Pit’ Against Colleagues As Race To See Who Replaces Bob Iger Heats Up

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Finding a gift for a Disney executive who seems to have it all can be tough this holiday season. But for a select few, the best present isn’t something you can buy – it’s the opportunity to become the next CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

Disney is starting the process of finding a new CEO to take over from Bob Iger, who plans to step down at the end of 2026. They expect to make a decision early next year. Two leading candidates are Dana Walden, a co-head of Disney Studios, and Josh D’Amaro, who leads Disney Experiences. There’s been a lot of discussion about each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, and how they stack up against each other – a comparison Walden recently told Bloomberg she dislikes.

I don’t like being compared to my coworkers, because we have a strong and positive working relationship. We’re a very close-knit team.

I’ve been following the search for a new leader closely, and it seems like Walden and D’Amaro are the frontrunners right now. A lot of the discussion I’ve seen lately has been about who would actually be better for the role. It mostly involves looking at what each of them has done in the past and figuring out where one might have an edge over the other – what strengths they each bring to the table.

It’s easy to see why this is upsetting, especially since these are people who work closely and likely have a good relationship, maybe even a close friendship. Walden has a strong incentive to keep things friendly. The new CEO will probably want to retain whoever doesn’t get the job – they’re valuable employees and will become even more important partners going forward.

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Disney is searching for a new CEO, and while they’ve looked at candidates outside the company, none seem to be leading contenders. Alan Horn, a partner at the studio, and Jimmy Pitaro, President of ESPN, have also been considered, but they aren’t currently considered frontrunners.

According to Walden, Disney is well-positioned to succeed no matter who takes over as CEO. She isn’t promoting herself for the role, but emphasizes the strength of the existing Disney team, suggesting their expertise will remain a key asset even with new leadership. She then continued speaking…

I’m very confident about the future of this company. We have a truly exceptional team guiding us forward.

Disney’s previous CEO change didn’t go smoothly. Bob Chapek replaced Bob Iger in 2020, but was later replaced by Iger himself. This time, Disney seems to be moving cautiously to prevent a similar situation.

Disney plans to name a new CEO in early 2026. This person will work with current CEO Bob Iger for a year, learning the ropes before fully taking over when Iger steps down at the end of 2026.

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2025-12-16 22:08