Feb 2 (Reuters) – The board of Walt Disney is close to promoting theme-park division chairman Josh D’Amaro to the role of chief executive officer and will vote on naming a new leader next week, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday citing people familiar with the matter.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Succession planning at the media conglomerate has been in focus for investors after Disney delayed CEO Bob Iger’s retirement several times before bringing him back in 2022 to replace his handpicked successor, Bob Chapek, after the pandemic hobbled its business.
“The board has not yet selected the next CEO of the Walt Disney Co. and once that decision is made, we will announce it,” a Disney spokesperson said in an emailed statement, according to Bloomberg.
Iger had told associates he plans to step down as CEO and pull back from daily management before his contract expires on December 31, the Wall Street Journal reported last month citing people familiar with the matter.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Barcelona; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Diane Craft)
