Disney announced the expanded position for a top executive that the Wall Street Journal recently said was seen internally as Disney’s potential “next next” CEO. The current Chief Brand Officer is expanding his duties to actively manage marketing for all divisions of the company. We’ve already heard about a positive impact from this executive.
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Disney Chief Brand Officer Promoted to Chief Marketing Officer
Asad Ayaz, a 20-year veteran at Disney, is being named Chief Brand and Marketing Officer and will oversee marketing and brands for Disney Entertainment, Disney Experiences and ESPN. This is the first chief marketing officer in Disney’s history.
“Over more than two decades at the company – and as Disney’s first-ever Chief Brand Officer – Asad has helped bring the magic of Disney to life for millions through his exceptional leadership,” said The Walt Disney Company’s CEO Bob Iger. “As our businesses have evolved, it’s clear that we need a company-wide role that ensures brand consistency and allows consumers today to seamlessly interact with our wonderful products and experiences. The Chief Marketing and Brand Officer role is critical for this moment, and Asad is the perfect fit.”
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The change unifies the marketing functions of the entire Disney company under one person for the first time. It gives one person the power to define how all aspects of the company, from new theme park additions to streaming shows, are presented to the world.
In a recent feature on Ayaz before his promotion, the Wall Street Journal framed him as a top leader within the company.
Here’s what the Wall Street Journal said about Ayaz:
His ascension has happened as Disney is in the midst of a closely watched CEO succession process. Ayaz, 47 years old, isn’t a likely candidate to replace Iger, but is widely viewed as a potential “next next” CEO.
Ayaz is a rare South Asian immigrant among Hollywood’s largely white senior executive ranks. He is known for an enthusiasm for Disney content that even fellow employees tease him about. The father of three’s office is decorated with more than 150 Funko figurines of Disney characters and he wears Marvel T-shirts at the gym. “He truly loves this stuff,” said Ricky Strauss, who was previously Disney’s head of movie marketing and Ayaz’s boss.
Ayaz’s rise has been fueled by relationships with key creative talent. He earned the trust of Marvel chief Kevin Feige and director J.J. Abrams by integrating their feedback on posters and commercials and being available for late-night texts and weekend calls.
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Now, back to the broader release from his promotion today:
The news of Ayaz’s promotion was announced internally at Disney yesterday in a joint email from Disney Entertainment Co-Chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro, and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. The news comes ahead of the expected announcement of who will be the next Disney CEO after Bob Iger. That announcement is expected in this first quarter of the year.
“Asad is an exceptional creative leader with strong strategic and operational prowess and deep experience across Disney and its brands, and we are excited for what we will accomplish together as we strengthen the connection between Disney and audiences around the world,” said Bergman, Walden, D’Amaro and Pitaro in a joint statement.
As the head of marketing for the studio, Ayaz’s campaigns since 2018 have driven 18 movies across the $1 billion global box office mark. HIs expanded brand leadership also includes the Disney100 global brand campaign, the international expansion of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, and the creative for the Disneyland 70th anniversary campaign, according to Deadline.
We most recently saw Asad Ayaz at the premiere of the new “Disneyland Handcrafted” film coming soon to Disney Plus and YouTube. We have heard that Ayaz was a critical internal champion to get that project made. The film was fantastic. Hearing that he was instrumental in that creation of the film gives me great confidence in where his leadership could take the marketing output of the company. See all the details on that new film here. The photo at the top of this article is from that premiere.
We are watching closely as different executive shifts happen at Disney. We are in what could be the final weeks leading up to the expected announcement of the next Disney CEO.
Stay tuned to Mickey Visit for all the latest Disney news and planning resources.
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