Bob Iger’s impending departure [end of 2026] has prompted the company to start looking for its next CEO. Recent reports name three executives as the company’s likely successors. They are Jimmy Pitaro, Josh D’Amaro, and Dana Walden.

With reports surfacing from the Los Angeles Times that a successor could be named as early as next month, let’s take a look at why each canidate would be a good fit and why they might not be.

Jimmy Pitaro
Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content

Why He’d be Good at It

• Monetization expertise in live content and subscriptions, which will be critical as Disney continues its shift to streaming services.
• Strong ties with sports leagues as well as advertisers, which could mean a more stable revenue stream from ads.
• Track record of handling complex rights deals and shifting distribution models.

Why he might not be a good fit

• Lack of experience in managing Disney’s vast theme park business, consumer products division, and movie studios worldwide.
• Perception as a sports/media specialist could make the task of uniting the highly diversified organization more difficult.
• Potential internal resistance from creative/entertainment leadership who might perceive him as being more commercially minded, less focused on Hollywood relations.

Josh D’Amaro — Chairman of Disney Experiences

Why he’d be a good fit

• Deep operational skills running the company’s largest steady cash generator (parks & experiences).
• Credibility on capital projects, global expansion, and physical/logistical execution.
• Familiar with consumer merchandising and cross-business integration.
• Has a strong relationship with the guest experience and is well liked amongst Disney parks fans.

Why he might not be a good fit

• Less direct experience with content creation, network/studio relations, and streaming strategy.
• Parks’ expertise may lead to the prioritization of experiential and real-world revenue models over media transformation.
• Running global operations differs from steering creative politics, as well as managing talent in TV/Film.

Dana Walden
Co-Chair, Disney Entertainment

Why she’d be a good fit

• Strong creative credibility and understanding of content strategy, an important part of Disney’s value proposition.
• Negotiating experience involving talent and successful franchises, which could contribute to Disney’s ability to maintain its storytelling credentials.
• Would likely be viewed as positive by the creative community and could accelerate high-quality content for Disney+, as well as Hulu.

Why she might not be a good fit

• Less operational experience in running and managing parks, resorts, and other large-scale physical businesses that can be significant revenue drivers.
• Could potentially be seen as focusing more on creative investments instead of cost discipline or distribution monetization.

Each of these candidates has clear strengths in a major area of Disney’s business; Sports and subscriptions under Pitaro, parks and operations under D’Amaro, and creative/content leadership under Walden. The board’s choice will depend on which of these areas of strategic priority they wish to pursue in a new CEO. It should also be noted, whoever the company names as CEO will be working very closely with Iger to learn the responsibilities of the position up until he departs at the end of the year.