A new poll from Bloomberg puts Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro at the top of the list of candidates to become Disney’s next CEO. According to Bloomberg, the poll received more than 700 responses from “industry experts”. Among the questions was “Who will be the CEO of Disney in 2027“?
Momentum Builds for D’Amaro CEO Bid
The Bloomberg poll asked industry experts who they thought would be the Disney CEO in 2027. Current CEO Bob Iger’s contract expires on December 31, 2026. Among the more than 700 responses, Parks chief Josh D’Amaro received 212 votes, or about 30% of the vote total.
In second place was Dana Walden with 159 votes, or 22%. Interestingly, Iger was in third place with 126 votes, or nearly 18% of the total. Voting for Iger represents a vote that Iger won’t step down as previously announced.
As it stands now, Disney’s latest statement is that they will announce Iger’s successor in “early 2026”. To me, that reads as the first quarter of 2026. Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was announced as Iger’s successor in February 2020, with the transition taking place effective that same day.
The Walt Disney Company has previously announced an intent for there to be a transition period between naming the next CEO and the end of Iger’s contract. It would stand to reason that if Iger does step down, the new CEO would take power by January 1, 2027 at the latest.
As for D’Amaro, he has been building momentum while Walden seems to be losing ground. At least, publicly. In previous iterations of the Bloomberg poll, Walden has enjoyed the top spot every single time. In fact, D’Amaro wasn’t even in the top 3 in 2024, losing out to Walden, any outside candidate, and Alan Bergman.
Since then, D’Amaro’s theme park division has continued to post record revenues, surpassing the $10 billion mark for operating income in 2025. In addition, D’Amaro has been at the helm for a number of big announcements in recent years, including “turbocharging” investments in the theme parks, and even standing right next to Iger when the Disneyland Abu Dhabi theme park complex was announced.
From the outside looking in, it appears that the CEO position is D’Amaro’s to lose at this point. With an announcement just months away, I’m not sure there is much that D’Amaro can do to lose the job.
Of course, there are lingering questions and unhealed scars when it comes to promoting a “theme park guy” to the CEO role. Failed former Disney CEO Bob Chapek held the same role that D’Amaro does now prior to being promoted. Insiders say that D’Amaro has a better working relationship with Hollywood talent than Chapek did, so maybe Iger will be able to overlook it this time.
Either way, D’Amaro’s name is, and has been, the first name out of many people’s mouths when discussing who the next Disney CEO will be, and this poll from Bloomberg seems to continue that momentum into the new year when Disney will make a decision on who takes the reins next.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
As long as Iger is out and never coming back then it will be a win fir Disney fans.
So the guy who was in charge when prices skyrocketed at the parks will take full control. Great
If he isn’t willing to change the culture things will continue to go downhill…….