The Disney Parks leadership configuration continues to evolve as Josh D’Amaro is soon to take over as the company’s CEO. With him leaving his post as Disney Experiences Chair, a new leader needed to be named. That happened earlier today as Thomas Mazloum will take over after being the Disneyland Resort President. This has caused a few other dominos to fall in the leadership circle. In this post, we’ll share the details and press release from Disney before adding our own commentary. Let’s get to the news!

Disney Experiences announced today a series of leadership appointments, underscoring the strength and versatility of its leadership team. “We’re in an unprecedented period of growth for Disney Experiences,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences and incoming Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company. “This team will propel the world-class experiences Disney is known for to more guests across the globe.”

Thomas Mazloum succeeds Josh D’Amaro as Chairman of Disney Experiences, leading a diverse portfolio of global businesses including Disney’s theme parks, cruise ships, resort hotels, expeditions and adventures, consumer products, and Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative engine behind Disney’s experiences portfolio.

Mazloum brings deep operational knowledge of Disney Experiences, a strong record of international leadership, and a long-standing commitment to Disney’s cast members and creative culture. With the guest experience at the center of everything, he will lead the business into its next chapter as it continues to grow and evolve globally.

Before joining Disney, Mazloum built a strong foundation in European luxury hospitality, gaining extensive experience across high‑end hotels in food & beverage, guest services, and hotel operations. He later served as Chief Operating Officer of Crystal Cruise Line, where he was known for driving service excellence, transforming organizational cultures, and successfully launching new travel ventures.

As part of his Disney career, Mazloum held senior leadership roles at Walt Disney World Resort before being named President of Disney Signature Experiences. In that role, he developed a long‑term strategic growth plan that included doubling the size of the Disney Cruise Line fleet. With the recent launch of Disney Adventure in Singapore — the cruise line’s eighth ship and its first homeported in Asia — the business expanded into new growth markets and reached the next generation of fans.

Most recently, as President, Disneyland Resort, Mazloum oversaw two theme parks, three hotels, and the Downtown Disney District during the Resort’s 70th anniversary celebration.

“Thomas Mazloum is an exceptional leader with a genuine appreciation for our cast members and a proven track record of delivering growth,” said D’Amaro. “His focus on service excellence, broad international leadership, and strong connection to the creativity that brings our stories to life make him the right leader to guide Disney Experiences into its next chapter.”

Disney Experiences also announced the following changes to its leadership team, with all roles reporting to Mazloum:

• Jill Estorino — President, Disneyland Resort
• Tasia Filippatos — President, Disney Parks International
• Lisa Baldzicki — President, Disney Consumer Products

Jill Estorino has been named President, Disneyland Resort, where she will continue to elevate the guest and cast experience at the company’s original, iconic destination.

Over her 35-year career, Estorino held numerous leadership roles, including Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Sales for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, where she played a key role in the grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort. Most recently, as President of Disney Parks International, Estorino oversaw the operations, expansion and development of Disney’s international parks and resorts, including Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disney Resort and Tokyo Disney Resort with the Oriental Land Company. Estorino successfully expanded Disney’s global footprint at sites around the world, reaching new consumers and fans from around the world. Since her appointment, Disney’s international parks have seen strong performance and growth.

In her new role as Disneyland Resort President, Estorino brings a global perspective shaped by decades of leadership across Disney’s diverse portfolio of experiences. As a strong business and marketing strategist, she focuses on brand stewardship, exceptional guest experiences, and a deeply connected cast culture. Estorino will guide the resort through its next phase of growth while continuing to foster the culture and community that has defined Disneyland.

Tasia Filippatos is appointed President of Disney Parks International, overseeing the growth and evolution of Disney’s parks outside the United States.

Most recently, Filippatos served as President of Disney Consumer Products, guiding the business through a period of transformation fueled by innovation-led growth. Her leadership included a global portfolio spanning products, Parks merchandise, retail, publishing and games while translating iconic storytelling into scaled consumer experiences through premier brand partnerships worldwide.

In her new role as President of Disney Parks International, Filippatos brings a proven track record of leading complex global businesses at scale across diverse international markets. A visionary leader at the forefront of creativity and innovation, she will oversee the operations, expansion, and development of Disney’s international parks — including Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort in partnership with Oriental Land Company, and our newest park coming to Abu Dhabi in partnership with Miral.

Lisa Baldzicki is promoted to President of Disney Consumer Products, where she will continue to build on the great momentum and evolution of our global consumer products business.

Baldzicki was most recently head of Parks Product Development & Retail for Disney Consumer Products, where she defined the vision and business strategy for retail product and integrated experiences across Disney’s domestic parks. She brought a consumer-led merchandising perspective to the role, shaping strategies that drive how guests engage with products and brands before, during, and after purchase.

In her new role as President, Disney Consumer Products, she will lead the continued evolution of the global retail division of The Walt Disney Company. The division includes the world’s largest licensing business with a presence across more than 100 product categories and a global reach spanning over 180 countries.

“As we look ahead, I have tremendous confidence in Thomas and in the leaders stepping into these roles — Jill, Tasia, and Lisa — along with the incredible leadership team across Disney Experiences,” said D’Amaro. “Together, they will continue to build on our momentum around the world, delivering the service, creativity and one-of-a-kind experiences that define Disney.”

Transitions will get under way in the next few weeks, with all roles effective March 18, 2026.

Commentary

The other shoe that came with D’Amaro getting the CEO gig has now officially dropped. It’s not an overly surprising shoe. Mazloum has been the leader in the clubhouse to get the Parks & Experiences Chair for the last month and it became clear he was the main target in the last few days.

Mazloum’s move to Experiences Chair should give the most profitable portion of the Disney company stability. For his part, it appears that Mazloum has worked well with D’Amaro and this promotion shows the trust that they have with each other. While I have some complaints about the current state of Disneyland Resort, and the the Disney Parks as a whole, stability makes sense with all of the ongoing construction projects.

My main concern, and one I plan to write about in the next few weeks with all of these leadership changes taking place, is the current state of entertainment at the Disney Parks. Stage shows have taken a backseat to more character interactions and I doubt the continuity will lead to a break in this pattern. If you couldn’t tell, I’m disappointed in the disappearance of stage shows and wish they’d come back to the parks in full force, specifically at Disneyland.

On the bright side, Mazloum does appear to be in tune with the guest experience and has put an emphasis on Cast Member training. That is something that I hope will translate to his new role and will go a long ways in improving Disneyland, WDW and the international experiences.

As for the new Disneyland Resort President, Jill Estorino, I can’t say that I’m familiar with her work. I’m excited to see what her international park experience could do in changing Disneyland. It appears that Jeff Vahle will continue his long tenured (since 2020) run as Walt Disney World President.

Let us know what you think of the Disney Experiences leadership changes! Leave a comment or question below. Planning a trip to a Disney Park? Check out all of our Planning Guides to help you along the way. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!