Dual Kingdom: Disney Considers Co-CEOs to Replace Bob Iger. The Walt Disney Company, aiming to name a successor to CEO Bob Iger by early 2026, is reportedly considering a co-CEO structure, according to a CNBC report. While the arrangement would allow the company to install both top contenders, internal and historical factors suggest the dual-leader model could quickly lead to power struggles.
The race for the chief executive role has narrowed to two internal favorites:
- Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, possesses decades of Hollywood content expertise.
- Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, oversees the company’s highly profitable theme parks and consumer products divisions.
The Logic of Dual Leaders
A co-CEO structure offers the Disney board a clean way to capitalize on the candidates’ complementary skills: Walden could focus on the creative side (films, streaming) while D’Amaro manages the operational empire (parks, merchandise). Crucially, selecting both would prevent the company from losing a top executive who might depart for an outside CEO job—a risk Disney faced when streaming chief Kevin Mayer left after being overlooked for the CEO role in 2020.
The model has seen a recent uptick in popularity across the corporate world, with companies like Spotify, Oracle, and Comcast all recently appointing joint leaders.
