The Walt Disney Company has appointed Josh D’Amaro as the new Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.
The company also named Rebecca Campbell as the Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International, where she will lead the expansion of the company’s Disney+ streaming service. Campbell replaces Kevin Mayer, who left the company to serve as the CEO of video-sharing app TikTok.
Both Campbell and D’Amaro will report to CEO Bob Chapek.
In D’Amaro’s new role, he will be in charge of the company’s parks, cruises, retail stores, shopDisney e-commerce platform, and merchandising efforts. To support D’Amaro, the company also named Jeff Vahle as President of Walt Disney World Resort, Ken Potrock as President of Disneyland Resort, Thomas Mazloum as President of Disney Signature Experiences, and Kareem Daniel as President of Consumer Products, Games and Publishing.
D’Amaro initially joined Disney in 1998 and has held senior strategy and operations roles at Disney parks around the world. Most recently D’Amaro served as the President of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
In a press release, Chapek said, “These talented executives played pivotal roles while leading our exceptional cast members during the largest period of growth in the segment’s history. Chapek also stated that he is “confident that as they assume even greater responsibility and pursue new opportunities, these proven leaders will have an even bigger impact on the future of our company.”
D’Amaro said. “Even during this challenging time, the enthusiasm of our dedicated cast members for what we do is unwavering, and my goal is to bring them back to work as soon as possible so they can continue to create that magic.”
Disney’s new Parks team will lead the company’s efforts to reopen its iconic resorts, many of which are currently closed due to the coronavirus. Last month, Disney had to furlough around 100,000 theme park and hotel workers, due to the pandemic. However, there are signs of hope for the company, as this month the company was able to reopen its resort in Shanghai with social distancing precautions.
