Who Will Replace Josh D'Amaro as Disney Experiences Chairman?

5 days ago in "The Walt Disney Company"

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Walt Disney Company headquarters in Burbank, California

Posted: Tuesday February 3, 2026 9:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney faces a critical leadership decision as Josh D'Amaro prepares to become CEO on March 18, 2026. The company must fill the Chairman of Disney Experiences role that D'Amaro will vacate.

Three executives stand out as likely candidates based on their current positions and track records. The role oversees Disney's largest business segment, which generated $36 billion in annual revenue in FY2025.

Thomas Mazloum: Disneyland Resort President

Thomas Mazloum currently serves as President of Disneyland Resort, leading 36,000 cast members across Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, three resort hotels, and Downtown Disney District.

Mazloum took the Disneyland position after serving as President of Disney Signature Experiences, where he led Disney Cruise Line during expansion that will double the fleet size by 2031. He oversaw plans for a second island destination in The Bahamas and new ports of call worldwide.

As President of Disney Signature Experiences, Mazloum also managed Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, National Geographic Expeditions, Golden Oak, Aulani, Disney Institute, and Storyliving by Disney.

Before that role, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World Resort, overseeing 31 resort hotels, Disney Springs, ESPN Wide World of Sports, and transportation operations.

Mazloum began his Disney career in 1998 as a hotel director for Disney Cruise Line. He later served as General Manager of Food & Beverage and Special Events at EPCOT. Before returning to Disney in 2017, he was Chief Operating Officer for Crystal Cruise Line.

Born in Austria, Mazloum earned his degree in hotel management in Innsbruck. He has received business certifications from Cornell University, the Hotel School of Lausanne, and the Hotel School of Salzburg.

Mazloum is currently guiding Disneyland Resort through its 70th anniversary celebration and overseeing DisneylandForward, which enables expansion and investment in Anaheim for the next 40 years.

Ken Potrock: Major Events Integration President

Ken Potrock serves as President of Major Events Integration for The Walt Disney Company. He leads the company's engagement across sports, entertainment, and tourism events in California and the United States.

Potrock oversees Disney's involvement in tentpole events including America's 250th anniversary and FIFA World Cup in 2026, the Grammy Awards and Super Bowl LXI in 2027, and the LA Summer Olympics and 100th anniversary of Mickey Mouse in 2028.

A 30-year Disney veteran, Potrock previously served as President of Disneyland Resort. He guided 36,000 cast members through the pandemic, secured approval for DisneylandForward, and led major expansions including Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure, The Villas at the Disneyland Hotel, and reimagined lands like Mickey's Toontown and San Fransokyo Square.

Before leading Disneyland Resort, Potrock served as President of Disney Consumer Products and Senior Vice President of Disney Sports Enterprises, Disney Vacation Club, Golden Oak, and Adventures by Disney.

He began his Disney career in 1995 as Vice President of Marketing for Disney Cruise Line, helping launch the company's entry into the cruise industry.

Potrock graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He serves on the board of Rady Children's Health, as Chairman of Visit California, and as an advisory board member for the LA Sports and Entertainment Commission.

Jeff Vahle: Walt Disney World Resort President

Jeff Vahle is President of Walt Disney World Resort, overseeing approximately 80,000 cast members at four theme parks, more than 25 resort hotels, two water parks, a sports complex, and Disney Springs.

Now in his 36th year with Disney Experiences, Vahle has opened major attractions since taking the role five years ago, including Zootopia: Better Zoogether, the reimagined Test Track, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Country Bear Musical Jamboree, Journey of Water, TRON Lightcycle / Run, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

He has overseen resort refurbishments and expansions, including the new Island Tower at Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows and numerous food and beverage locations across Walt Disney World.

Vahle is currently managing billions of dollars in investments for new lands and attractions at Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom.

In addition to Walt Disney World, Vahle oversees Worldwide Safety, Health, Engineering and Sourcing for Disney Experiences. These teams prioritize safety at Disney vacation experiences globally.

Prior to his current role, Vahle led Disney Signature Experiences and Facilities and Operations Services for Disney theme parks worldwide.

Since beginning his Disney career in 1990, Vahle has held leadership roles in developing Disney California Adventure Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disney Resort.

He serves on the boards of trustees for Rollins College and the University of Central Florida. He is part of the Orlando Economic Partnership and a member of The Florida Council of 100.

Vahle earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University and a master's degree in business administration from Rollins College.

Comparing the Candidates

All three candidates have extensive Disney Experiences backgrounds spanning decades. Each has led major resort properties and managed large workforces.

Mazloum brings cruise line expertise and international hotel management experience. His oversight of Disney Signature Experiences gave him exposure to multiple business lines beyond theme parks.

Potrock's current role in Major Events Integration positions him to leverage Disney's ecosystem around tentpole events. His marketing background and consumer insights experience differ from the traditional operations path to the chairman role.

Vahle manages Disney's largest single resort property and oversees global safety and engineering functions. His engineering background and experience opening international parks provide technical expertise.

D'Amaro's Path to Chairman

D'Amaro became Chairman of Disney Experiences in 2020 after serving as President of Walt Disney World Resort. Before that, he was President of Disneyland Resort.

His career path shows Disney's preference for promoting leaders with hands-on experience running major resort properties before moving them into the chairman position.

Both Mazloum and Vahle currently hold resort president positions similar to what D'Amaro had before his promotion. Potrock previously held the Disneyland Resort president role but has moved into a different position.

Timeline for Announcement

Disney has not indicated when it will announce D'Amaro's replacement. The company could make the announcement before D'Amaro's March 18 transition to CEO or wait until after the leadership change is complete.

The next Disney Experiences chairman will report directly to D'Amaro in his CEO role. This relationship may influence Disney's selection, as D'Amaro will want someone who understands his vision for the division.

Discuss on the Forums

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djkidkaz1 day ago

To me, this promotion is almost going to be more important than Josh becoming CEO. This person is going to be the one partnering with imagineering and making decisions on what is to come next, not necessarily Josh. Josh is going to have to put trust in this person and give them the ability to make decisions about the parks and their futures. Josh will be super busy running all the other facets of the company and figuring out how to move forward with ESPN, ABC, Disney+, Fox, etc.

Disstevefan11 day ago

welllll, if Josh appoints Vahle, then Josh has a scapegoat if things go bad. Sorta like when Iger appointed Chapek. ;)

wdwfan4ver2 days ago

Vahle is tight with money and it shows. What I mean by that is one example is Vahle had 2 options to put Monsters Inc. Land with one being Muppet Courtyard and the other being Star Wars Launch Bay and the building behind it. Vahle took Muppet Courtyard because it was cheaper to do the land there. Vahle also didn't like the costs involved with Rivers of America and played a big role in why it is gone now for Piston Peak. The final thing is Vahle claimed Muppet Courtyard and Rivers of America were underutilized and he got backlash from the underutilize claim.

Disstevefan12 days ago

Too soon? ;)

Ayla2 days ago

Has there been an announcement as to who it will be, yet?

Tha Realest2 days ago

Tropical Americas is a way to narratively and inorganically shoehorn two disparate IPs into DAK. It is not an example of breaking free from the IP mandate: rather, it is a clumsy way to implement it.

peter114352 days ago

You have no idea if that’s true.

Nickm20222 days ago

At the end of the day the age of IP will never be mandated as strong as it was under Iger. And here's hoping we get a person who is open to original ideas. still want the DLP lady who's name I forget

HMF3 days ago

No but he certainly didn't fight it.

WaluigiTime3 days ago

Who will replace him? I will volunteer.

flyerjab3 days ago

I think it may end up being a compromise at best. And the Tropical Americas and Villians lands might be the best examples. Tropical Americas is an original land designed by Imagineering. There is backstory being created that does not exist anywhere else, so the story of the land is unique. A resident of Pueblo Esperanza made a carousel with handcrafted animals from different movies (a slightly more creative way to integrate IP in my opinion of course). There is a town square with a fountain of all things and Mayan ruins. There will be an overarching story to this place, not entirely based off of IP. And I think that Bruce provided this direction upon his return. If we recall, D’Amaro had the blue sky parks panel at D23 in 2022. Bruce is then hired. Then at the Destination D event the following year, they presented the idea of a Tropical Americas land. I really believe Bruce gave them more direction, providing for a cohesive land instead of the ideas they were sharing the year prior. I think that Villians Land will be similar. Will there be IP? Absolutely. Will the land and backstory be unique? For the most part I would think so. In the end, I really think this will evolve into a marriage of the two approaches. Unless they give us a new Imagination attraction with Figment and it crushes it from a guest satisfaction perspective. They really need data to show they can be as successful with NEW original attractions. Figment could help with that.

HauntedPirate3 days ago

.5%

Tha Realest3 days ago

The only non-IP we’re potentially going to get is a Figment redo, which is a misnomer as it is an existing attraction and Figment is functionally its own IP already.