Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution chairman Kareem Daniel is stepping down

Eric Grunwedel

November 21, 2022

A day after the surprise departure of CEO Bob Chapek and the return of Bob Iger as head of The Walt Disney Company, Chapek’s first lieutenant Kareem Daniel is also leaving the company after more than 10 years. His departure was announced Monday in a memo from Iger.

Daniel, who heads Czapek’s reorganized Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED) group, previously served as head of consumer products, games and publishing at the media giant and was Disney’s highest-ranking black executive.

In a memo, Iger said DMED, which was responsible for Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu and Hulu + Live TV, will be reorganized by current senior executives Dana Walden, chairman of Disney General Entertainment, Alan Bergman, chairman of Disney Studios Content, Jimmy Pitaro, president of ESPN, and CFO Christine McCarthy to create a new structure that he says “puts more decision-making back into the hands of our creative teams and streamlines costs.”

“No doubt elements of DMED will remain, but I fundamentally believe that storytelling is what fuels this company and is at the heart of how we organize our business,” Iger wrote.

Industry insiders expect Iger to reverse other changes by Capek, which have seen former theme park executives gain prominence in the company’s direct-to-consumer business unit, as well as the now-departed CEO.