One week after Jeff Vahle introduced his retirement, a brand new president has been named for Walt Disney World as a part of a bigger-picture management shake-up at Parks & Resorts that additionally impacts Disneyland Paris, Disney Cruise Line, and extra. Right here’s the most recent, plus our commentary about why this information has us optimistic!
As fundamental background, the earlier management shuffle on March tenth resulted in Thomas Mazloum, beforehand the Disneyland Resort President, being promoted to Disney Experiences Chairman. That function had been left vacant by advantage of the Board of Administrators introduced that it elected former Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro to change into Chief Government Officer, efficient on the Annual Assembly on March 18th.
When Thomas Mazloum was named head of Parks & Resorts and Client Merchandise two months in the past, the corporate additionally introduced the next adjustments to its management staff, with all roles reporting to Mazloum (hyperlinks to their official Disney bios):
For extra on every of these adjustments, see our put up concerning the New Parks & Resorts Management Beneath Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and Thomas Mazloum. The earlier adjustments are related as they could possibly be motivation for Jeff Vahle’s departure and/or sign who’s subsequent on deck for promotion to the Walt Disney World President place.
Quick-forward to Might 18, 2026 and new Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum has introduced a collection of senior management appointments round Parks & Resorts:
- Joe Schott is appointed President, Walt Disney World Resort
- Natacha Rafalski is appointed President, Disney Signature Experiences
- Christophe Murphy is promoted to President, Disneyland Paris
“Disney Experiences is within the midst of unprecedented growth with extra new tasks underway throughout our world portfolio than at another second in our historical past,” stated Thomas Mazloum, Chairman, Disney Experiences.
“These appointments mirror the depth of management expertise driving Disney Experiences. Joe, Natacha, and Christophe have a deep appreciation of the visitor expertise, possess in depth monetary and operational experience, and a confirmed skill to ship at scale. I’ve full confidence in every of them to construct on the exceptional momentum underway throughout these companies and to jot down the following chapter of Disney’s story.”
Joe Schott, President, Walt Disney World
Joe Schott is appointed President of Walt Disney World Resort, succeeding Jeff Vahle, who’s retiring after a distinguished 36-year profession with the corporate.
Walt Disney World Resort is the world’s most ceaselessly visited trip resort and is the most important single- website employer in the US, with roughly 80,000 Forged Members. It spans 4 theme parks, two water parks, greater than 30 resort motels, the Disney Springs retail and leisure district, and ESPN Broad World of Sports activities Advanced. It’s present process a major period of funding, with the most important growth in Magic Kingdom’s historical past at the moment underway, and new lands in growth at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Joe Schott is amongst Disney’s most skilled worldwide operators, with greater than 40 years of management throughout world famend locations in Asia, Europe, and past. Most lately, he served as president of Disney Signature Experiences, the place he oversaw the launches of two new ships, the Disney Future and Disney Journey.
Earlier than that, as president and basic supervisor of Shanghai Disney Resort, Schott led the resort via a significant growth part, together with the opening of the Zootopia-themed land – contributing to the resort surpassing 100 million friends in underneath a decade. Previous to Shanghai, Schott served as chief working officer of Disneyland Paris for 5 years and earlier as government managing director of Walt Disney Sights Japan, supporting the expansion of Tokyo Disney Resort.
Natacha Rafalski, President, Disney Signature Experiences
30-year veteran Natacha Rafalski is appointed President of Disney Signature Experiences (DSE), the division of Disney Experiences that encompasses Disney Cruise Line, Disney Trip Membership, Aulani – A Disney Resort & Spa, Adventures by Disney, Nationwide Geographic Expeditions, Storyliving by Disney, and Golden Oak.
On this new function, Rafalski will information the following part of Disney Cruise Line’s historic fleet growth, rising from eight ships in the present day to 13 vessels by 2031, with every new ship designed to function a robust ambassador of the Disney model — extending storytelling, service, and innovation to households world wide.
Rafalski brings to this function a singular mix of monetary self-discipline, strategic imaginative and prescient, and a deep understanding of what strikes friends. As president of Disneyland Paris since 2018, main greater than 20,000 Forged Members throughout two theme parks, seven themed motels, and Disney Village.
Rafalski spearheaded the resort’s €2 billion transformation of Walt Disney Studios Park into Disney Journey World, roughly doubling the park’s footprint and including franchise powerhouses Marvel Avengers Campus and the current opening of World of Frozen to the resort’s footprint. Disneyland Paris has welcomed a whole bunch of tens of millions of friends as Europe’s main vacationer vacation spot.
Rafalski additionally performed a key function of the within the growth of Shanghai Disney Resort and negotiated one of the vital consequential theme park growth agreements within the firm’s historical past, earlier than serving as Chief Monetary Officer of The Walt Disney Firm Larger China from 2013 to 2017.
Christophe Murphy, President, Disneyland Paris
Christophe Murphy is promoted to President of Disneyland Paris, main one in every of Disney’s most storied and strategically essential worldwide locations because it continues to evolve via inventive innovation. Residence to a few of Disney’s most enduring tales, the resort is coming into a brand new chapter of progress, together with the event of a brand new Lion King–themed land that can additional enrich the expertise for friends from Europe and past.
Murphy is an skilled operational chief, with greater than 35 years at The Walt Disney Firm, initially becoming a member of Disneyland Paris in 1991 in the course of the resort’s pre-opening part. He has risen via each dimension of resort operations, together with theme parks, Disney Village, motels, leisure, merchandise, meals and beverage, and franchise integration.
In 2021, Murphy was appointed vp of Operations for Walt Disney Sights Japan, the place he labored in shut partnership with Oriental Land Firm at Tokyo Disney Resort — partnering on high quality requirements, visitor expertise, and growth technique.
Murphy returned to Disneyland Paris in 2023 as senior vp, Operations overseeing all operational technique for the resort, together with the supply of the most important growth that launched Disney Journey World and World of Frozen to friends in March 2026. Christophe additionally brings useful expertise from Disneyland Paris Advertising and marketing & Gross sales, additional broadening his perspective throughout the visitor journey.
All leaders assume their new roles by the top of July 2026.
When beforehand assessing the candidates to change into the brand new Disney Experiences Chairman (in Who Will Change Josh D’Amaro as Head of Disney Parks & Resorts?), we wrote that Mazloum could be the obvious choose. And in reality, he was the candidate who was chosen.
We additionally recognized Joe Schott, Michael Moriarty, and Natacha Rafalski as the opposite main contenders. None of them modified roles as a part of the earlier management shuffle, which was notable and left the door open for any of them to ascend this go-round. Though it wouldn’t be fairly the identical because the Parks & Resorts Chair place, being named Walt Disney World President could be a promotion for any of them.
And in reality, two of them have now moved up the ranks with the announcement of Joe Schott being the incoming Walt Disney World President and Natacha Rafalski being appointed President, Disney Signature Experiences. We view each strikes as excellent news, albeit extra so for Walt Disney World than Disney Cruise Line.
My earlier evaluation leaned in the direction of Schott as being Mazloum’s closest competitor for the Disney Experiences Chairman place. Nonetheless, that was additionally based mostly on his in depth worldwide expertise, which goes to be extremely related to the following decade of growth for the section as a complete. On the threat of stating the apparent, it’s not as pertinent relating to simply Walt Disney World.
Schott is a 40-year Disney veteran who began his profession as a frontline Forged Member in Operations at Walt Disney World. He started as a Jungle Cruise skipper on the Magic Kingdom, making him just about the quintessential “Disney Parks Man.” (Severely, simply what number of excessive rating leaders and creatives received their begin at Jungle Cruise?! Should be one thing within the water.)
To elaborate on the above bio, Schott spent 15 of the final 18 years working outdoors of the US. He led Walt Disney Sights Japan in help of the Tokyo Disney Resort for 3 years in the course of the resortʼs twenty fifth anniversary. He spent 5 years on the revitalization effort of Disneyland Paris as Chief Working Officer. Following that, he served six years as President and Common Supervisor of Shanghai Disney Resort. This well-rounded expertise may be very a lot an asset, particularly the timeframes throughout which he served at these worldwide outposts.
Shanghai Disney Resort is notoriously complicated from a enterprise and political standpoint. Managing relationships with Chinese language authorities officers, native enterprise companions, and Shanghai Shendi Group undoubtedly required finesse and political acumen. The truth that Schott not solely survived however thrived in that atmosphere for six years (once more, throughout COVID) speaks volumes.
What makes Schott significantly intriguing is his decade-plus of expertise main the worldwide parks via anniversaries, growth, revitalization, and (oddly) even border closures. He has wide-ranging expertise, together with at parks which can be typically thought to be better-run than Walt Disney World.
I’ve solely ever had the possibility to speak to Schott as soon as at size, however got here away impressed. He clearly is aware of Disney inside and outside–his depth of information and curiosity was spectacular, particularly about issues outdoors his job description. He additionally struck me as very right down to earth and human, participating in off-the-cuff and unscripted dialog, which is usually uncommon of excessive rating executives.
Within the months since succession planning turned a sizzling subject, I’ve talked to increasingly individuals who beforehand labored for Schott. I’ve heard unequivocally glowing evaluations; all take into account him to be the kind of passionate chief who makes folks need to work more durable.
The sense I’ve gotten of Schott is that he’s very very similar to D’Amaro in a hands-on since, and in addition having an intense ardour for the product, whereas being extra plain-spoken (in a great way). To me, that feels like the whole package deal and a profitable mixture. Virtually like a mixture of the most effective elements of Mazloum and D’Amaro, however admittedly, I’ve extra firsthand expertise with each of them than with Schott.
Finally, I’m actually optimistic about Schott’s future at Walt Disney World, and hope he can proceed the ‘singles and doubles’ technique that has been gaining momentum within the final year-plus. For the primary time in my lifetime, Walt Disney World feels extra like Disneyland, and Jeff Vahle does deserve a minimum of among the credit score for that.
I view Joe Schott as a promising choose for the Walt Disney World President place. I’d take into account this “excellent news for followers.” He has the historical past, expertise at different parks across the globe, and is widely-regarded as passionate concerning the parks and a very good chief. It’s additionally value noting that this isn’t merely a stopover for Schott till one thing greater and higher opens up. I believe there’s ample motive for cautious optimism right here.
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OUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider the management adjustments? Excited for Joe Schott to be the following Walt Disney World President? Ideas on Natacha Rafalski transferring over to Disney Cruise Line? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
