Most Powerful Women

Dana Walden

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Dana Walden attends FX's "Grotesquerie" New York Premiere at Spring Studios on September 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) gettyimages-2174048104
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Dana Walden attends FX's "Grotesquerie" New York Premiere at Spring Studios on September 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) gettyimages-2174048104Arturo Holmes—Getty Images
  • Affiliation
    Walt Disney
  • Title
    Cochairman, Disney Entertainment
  • Country/Territory
    U.S.

Bob Iger’s latest stretch as Disney CEO is set to finish at the end of 2026, and a top name on the list of successors is Dana Walden. A former TV hitmaker as Fox Television Group CEO, Walden oversees Disney’s $41.2 billion entertainment media, news, and content businesses, which include streaming through Disney+ and Hulu (and with her cochairman’s portfolio, account for just under half of Disney’s $91.4 billion in revenue). In 2024, Disney earned 60 Emmys, a record for any company, and hosted four of the five most-streamed shows in the world—wins that burnished Walden’s contender status.