The Walt Disney Firm has introduced a collection of recent management appointments within the Parks & Resorts phase, together with a brand new Disney Experiences Chairman. That is big information for Walt Disney World and Disneyland followers, as the way forward for $60 billion or extra in investments wanted a brand new steward with Josh D’Amaro promoted to CEO.
Talking of which, let’s begin there in case you missed the management shuffle that led to this. Early final month, the Walt Disney Firm Board of Administrators introduced early final month that it elected Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro to turn out to be Chief Government Officer, efficient on the upcoming Annual Assembly on March 18, 2026. D’Amaro is a 28-year Disney veteran, is the architect of the most important enlargement in Disney Parks historical past, and has led the phase to new heights financially, creatively, and in visitor satisfaction in accordance with the corporate.
Alongside D’Amaro’s appointment as CEO, Dana Walden, Co-Chairman of Disney Leisure, has been named President and Chief Artistic Officer of The Walt Disney Firm, additionally efficient March 18, 2026. On this historic new function for Disney, Walden will report on to D’Amaro. Upon this transition, longtime Disney CEO Robert A. Iger will proceed to function Senior Advisor and a member of the Disney Board from March 18th till his retirement from the corporate on December 31, 2026.
With D’Amaro ascending to the nook workplace, somebody must take over the one most worthwhile division of all the Walt Disney Firm. Disney Experiences generated $36 billion in income in fiscal 2025 and represents over 70% of Disney’s total working revenue.
We now know that the brand new Disney Experiences Chairman is Thomas Mazloum, present Disneyland Resort President.
“We’re in an unprecedented interval of development for Disney Experiences,” mentioned Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences and incoming Chief Government Officer of the Walt Disney Firm in saying the management modifications. “This staff will propel the world-class experiences Disney is understood for to extra company throughout the globe.”
Thomas Mazloum succeeds Josh D’Amaro as Chairman, Disney Experiences, main a various portfolio of world companies together with Disney’s theme parks, cruise ships, resort inns, expeditions and adventures, client merchandise, and Walt Disney Imagineering, the inventive engine behind Disney’s experiences portfolio.
Mazloum brings deep operational information of Disney Experiences, a robust document of worldwide management, and a long-standing dedication to Disney’s solid members and inventive tradition. With the visitor expertise on the middle of every part, he’ll lead the enterprise into its subsequent chapter because it continues to develop and evolve globally.
“Thomas Mazloum is an distinctive chief with a real appreciation for our solid members and a confirmed monitor document of delivering development,” added D’Amaro. “His give attention to service excellence, broad worldwide management, and powerful connection to the creativity that brings our tales to life make him the proper chief to information Disney Experiences into its subsequent chapter.”
Disney Experiences additionally introduced the next modifications to its management staff, with all roles reporting to Mazloum (hyperlinks to their official Disney bios):
“As we glance forward, I’ve super confidence in Thomas and within the leaders getting into these roles — Jill, Tasia, and Lisa — together with the unbelievable management staff throughout Disney Experiences,” mentioned D’Amaro. “Collectively, they’ll proceed to construct on our momentum all over the world, delivering the service, creativity and one-of-a-kind experiences that outline Disney.”
Transitions will get beneath approach within the subsequent few weeks, with all roles efficient March 18, 2026.
Jill Estorino Named New Disneyland President
Jill Estorino has been named President, Disneyland Resort, the place she is going to proceed to raise the visitor and solid expertise on the firm’s unique, iconic vacation spot.
Over her 35-year profession, Estorino held quite a few management roles, together with Government Vice President of World Advertising and marketing and Gross sales for Disney Parks, Experiences and Merchandise, the place she performed a key function within the grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort.
Most lately, as President of Disney Parks Worldwide, Estorino oversaw the operations, enlargement and growth of Disney’s worldwide parks and resorts, together with Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disney Resort and Tokyo Disney Resort with the Oriental Land Firm. Estorino efficiently expanded Disney’s world footprint at websites all over the world, reaching new customers and followers from all over the world. Since her appointment, Disney’s worldwide parks have seen sturdy efficiency and development.
In her new function as Disneyland Resort President, Estorino brings a world perspective formed by a long time of management throughout Disney’s various portfolio of experiences. As a robust enterprise and advertising and marketing strategist, she focuses on model stewardship, distinctive visitor experiences, and a deeply linked solid tradition. Estorino will information the resort by means of its subsequent section of development whereas persevering with to foster the tradition and neighborhood that has outlined Disneyland.
Tasia Filippatos Named New Disney Parks Worldwide President
Tasia Filippatos is appointed President, Disney Parks Worldwide, overseeing the expansion and evolution of Disney’s parks outdoors the USA.
Most lately, Filippatos served as President of Disney Client Merchandise, guiding the enterprise by means of a interval of transformation fueled by innovation-led development. Her management included a world portfolio spanning merchandise, Parks merchandise, retail, publishing and video games whereas translating iconic storytelling into scaled client experiences by means of premier model partnerships worldwide.
In her new function as President of Disney Parks Worldwide, Filippatos brings a confirmed monitor document of main advanced world companies at scale throughout various worldwide markets. A visionary chief on the forefront of creativity and innovation, she is going to oversee the operations, enlargement, and growth of Disney’s worldwide parks.
Below Filippatos’ purview can be Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort in partnership with Oriental Land Firm, and the latest Disney park coming to Abu Dhabi in partnership with Miral.
Lisa Baldzicki Named New Disney Client Merchandise President
Lisa Baldzicki is promoted to President, Disney Client Merchandise, the place she is going to proceed to construct on the good momentum and evolution of Disney’s world client merchandise enterprise.
Baldzicki was most lately head of Parks Product Growth & Retail for Disney Client Merchandise, the place she outlined the imaginative and prescient and enterprise technique for retail product and built-in experiences throughout Disney’s home parks. She introduced a consumer-led merchandising perspective to the function, shaping methods that drive how company have interaction with merchandise and types earlier than, throughout, and after buy.
In her new function as President, Disney Client Merchandise, she is going to lead the continued evolution of the worldwide retail division of The Walt Disney Firm. The division consists of the world’s largest licensing enterprise with a presence throughout greater than 100 product classes and a world attain spanning over 180 nations.
Who’s Thomas Mazloum?
When beforehand discussing Who Will Exchange Josh D’Amaro as Head of Disney Parks & Resorts? on February 4th, we wrote that Mazloum could be the obvious alternative. Appears like that turned out to be right!
Mazloum is presently President of Disneyland Resort, the place he leads 36,000 Forged Members, Disneyland and Disney California Journey, three resort inns, and the Downtown Disney District. He’s guiding the resort throughout an thrilling time of development, overseeing its seventieth anniversary celebration; he’s additionally shepherding DisneylandForward, which is able to unlock alternatives for enlargement and funding in Anaheim for the subsequent 40 years.
Notably, Disneyland President has traditionally been a stepping-stone place to larger issues within the Disney Parks. Simply have a look at Josh D’Amaro, who held the function not that way back.
Mazloum took over as Disneyland Resort President in early 2025, succeeding Ken Potrock who was shuffled to overseeing Main Occasions Integration. Earlier than taking the reins at Disneyland, Mazloum spent a number of years as President of Disney Signature Experiences, the place he oversaw Disney Cruise Line throughout a interval of explosive enlargement and development that’ll successfully double the fleet dimension.
Previous to main Disney Signature Experiences, Mazloum served as SVP of Operations on the Walt Disney World Resort, overseeing 31 Disney resort inns, in addition to Disney Springs, ESPN Huge World of Sports activities and transportation operations. His resume reads like a best hits of Parks & Resorts operations.
Earlier than becoming a member of Disney, Mazloum constructed a robust basis in European luxurious hospitality, gaining intensive expertise throughout excessive‑finish inns in meals & beverage, visitor companies, and resort operations. He started his Disney profession in 1998, and even left the corporate for some time to function the Chief Working Officer for Crystal Cruise Line earlier than returning to Disney in 2017.
One under-discussed facet of Mazloum’s profession is that he was instrumental in dealing with the reopening of Walt Disney World. I not-so-fondly recall watching the weekly Orange County Financial Restoration Job Drive livestreams and listening to common (non)updates from Mazloum.
Our Commentary
In wanting on the trajectory of his profession during the last 6 years, Mazloum strikes me as a trusted D’Amaro lieutenant who has been cycled by means of excessive stakes conditions that wanted each a fragile contact and immediate motion.
I’ve had the prospect to speak to Mazloum on a number of events at varied occasions and have come away impressed. He understands each the operational and inventive sides of the enterprise, and values the visitor expertise.
Most lately, I attended the Disneyland Enterprise Replace final month. This was an intimate media gathering hosted by Mazloum and different management from the resort, who shared plans for the longer term, together with modifications they’ve made during the last yr to measurably enhance the visitor expertise.
That occasion supplied intensive face time with Mazloum, who was current all through that half-day replace, delivering one presentation, watching others, after which sitting for a Q&A with media. We’ve already coated that occasion in a number of posts, together with the next:
I nonetheless have one other submit coming about Forged Members and coaching (very optimistic), in addition to the Disneyland arrival expertise stemming from what I requested through the Q&A, which is way more unfavorable in nature.
What I discovered most illuminating and spectacular about Mazloum throughout that was his dealing with of the Q&A, which may pretty be described as contentious at occasions. At loads of occasions like this, there are unserious questions requested (why it’s all the time key to go first and set the tone). Equally, loads of solutions aren’t precise solutions, however as a substitute, shortly pivot from what was requested into no matter remarks have been ready.
That wasn’t the case with Mazloum. He confronted powerful questions and principally gave precise solutions, on the spot. He was extra candid about issues than I ever would’ve anticipated, absolutely recognizing and acknowledging the place there’s room for enchancment. (Such because the arrival expertise, my private pet peeve!)
He was well-versed with on-the-ground operations, absolutely in contact with the visitor expertise, and and wasn’t overly evasive. Not all the solutions have been the best ones that I might’ve preferred to listen to, however they have been trustworthy. In listening to from different leaders and Forged Members at Disneyland, it seems like making folks really feel heard and interesting in open and collaborative dialogues is certainly one of Mazloum’s sturdy fits. Very like D’Amaro in that regard.
Suffice to say, there’s a cause I ranked him as the obvious option to succeed Josh D’Amaro as Disney Experiences Chair. He’s a robust, albeit protected, choice. My solely actual disappointment is that he received’t be round to steward the slate of tasks at Disneyland and navigate native management in Anaheim. He’s already gotten a number of tasks that wanted extra consideration on monitor (minus Pandora, however that’s a unique story), and my hope is that these continued to be dealt with correctly
I’ve by no means met Jill Estorino, the brand new Disneyland President, in any significant capability. I’ve as a lot information about her as anybody who learn the bio above. She sounds spectacular based mostly on that, so hopefully California is in succesful arms!
When discussing the rumor that Thomas Mazloum could be named the subsequent Parks Chair, we heard from some followers who had hoped that Disney would look outdoors the corporate.
The pondering was that present management has turn out to be too enamored worth will increase and are related to unfavorable modifications to the visitor expertise. That it’s time for contemporary blood who will shake issues up. This echoes sentiment that we’ve heard all through this complete succession course of, with many followers being disenchanted by the D’Amaro choice within the first place.
Our perspective is that followers typically don’t think about the exhausting realities of those positions within the yr 2026. Now we have a rose-colored glasses on, and daydream of boundless potentialities which are indifferent from actual world constraints, and have little probability of ever changing into actuality.
It’s fallacious to imagine that one other theoretical candidate wouldn’t elevate costs, reduce prices, and so forth. As long as the Walt Disney Firm is publicly traded and beholden to Wall Avenue traders and analysts, these fan complaints are all the time going to exist. The candidate who may scale back costs wouldn’t be a sensible candidate within the first place, or they wouldn’t final lengthy on the job.
It is a level we’ve made repeatedly, maybe finest (and at size) in My Assembly with Josh D’Amaro. That explains the important distinctions between he and Bob Chapek regardless of their plain similarities, why D’Amaro “will get” Disney not like many executives, and why all of this issues.
There are going to be parallels between any potential govt at Disney or any publicly traded firm, or else they wouldn’t be in that place within the first place. However that’s to not say we should always throw our arms up within the air and argue that any govt goes to be equally unhealthy.
That’s completely not the case, as was made abundantly clear by the entire Chapek debacle. Throughout the parameters that all of them function, there may be super berth for good and unhealthy, “getting” what makes Disney particular or viewing it as simply one other firm, valuing the visitor expertise, Forged Member morale, and so forth.
Finally, that is all to say that the specifics of management do matter. Simply as we considered Josh D’Amaro as an amazing choose to be the subsequent Disney CEO when working inside the bounds of actuality, we really feel equally about Thomas Mazloum as incoming Parks Chairman.
The 2 are literally very comparable, simply with totally different accents. Each “get” Disney, have a long time of expertise in Parks & Resorts, are good at listening to stakeholders, and need what’s finest for the visitor expertise and Forged Members. They nail the foundational fundamentals of what makes Disney tick, and that’s actually essential.
This information is likely to be disappointing to followers desirous to see foundational modifications in the way in which the Walt Disney Firm operates; an entire paradigm shift. That priorities, philosophy and total path will stay unchanged. In fact, that was by no means going to occur within the first place.
What this new management association ensures is continuity, and constructing off the inspiration and fixes made in the previous few years through the post-Chapek period. Personally, I’m cautiously optimistic. That includes investing a minimum of $60 billion on theme parks, with top-down management coming from a parks particular person and management that “will get” Disney, values the visitor expertise, and appreciates Forged Members.
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OUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on Thomas Mazloum being named new Disney Experiences Chairman? What about Jill Estorino as new Disneyland President? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
