Joe Schott, a 40-year veteran cast member and longtime executive at Walt Disney Co., was announced Monday as the next president of Walt Disney World.
Mr. Schott’s most recent positions include president of a division that includes Disney Signature Experiences, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, Aulani and the company’s resorts in Hawaii.
Previous positions include President of Shanghai Disney Resort, Chief Operating Officer of Disneyland Paris, and Managing Director of Walt Disney Attractions Japan.
Hired at the age of 17, his first Disney job was as a Jungle Cruise Captain at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida. Schott grew up in central Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree from Nova Southeastern University.
Schott will take over the WDW chairmanship from Jeff Vahr, who is retiring in July.
Walt Disney World, which employs about 80,000 people, is in expansion mode with new properties being built at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, the world’s most-visited theme park each year.
“As we continue to create experiences for the next generation of guests and fans around the world, it is imperative that we place thoughtful leaders in roles where they can have the greatest impact – leaders with deep operational expertise, creative intuition, a global perspective and, most importantly, a genuine passion for our company and our people,” Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney Experiences, posted on social media on Monday.
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As a ripple effect on the management team, Natasha Rafalski will replace Schott as president of Disney Signature Experiences. She has been the president of Disneyland Paris since 2018. Her successor will be Christophe Murphy, who will serve as senior vice president of resort operations in France from 2023. But it all started at the top, after CEO Bob Iger stepped down and Josh D’Amaro was promoted to CEO. Mazrum replaced Damaro.
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