The longtime exec tapped as Walt Disney Company’s No. 2 is reportedly set to earn a base salary that’s 50% higher than her boss’ — a move that’s meant to blunt the sting of being passed over for the top job.
Dana Walden, who served as co-chair of Disney Entertainment prior to the company’s succession announcement last week, will reportedly earn $3.75 million in base pay — higher than that of Josh D’Amaro, the executive chosen over her for the CEO role.
D’Amaro, who has led Disney’s theme parks and experiences unit under outgoing chief executive Bob Iger, will receive a base salary of $2.5 million, though his total compensation package — driven largely by performance-based incentives — is set to exceed Walden’s, according to Fortune.
Walden’s compensation package is structured to prioritize guaranteed pay and retention.
In addition to her $3.75 million base salary, she received a one-time stock award valued at $5.26 million and is eligible for an annual bonus worth up to 200% of her base pay.
She is also slated to receive $15.75 million per year in long-term stock awards, bringing her recurring annual target compensation to about $27 million, excluding the one-time grant.
D’Amaro’s pay, by contrast, is far more heavily weighted toward performance-based incentives and long-term equity.
Alongside his lower $2.5 million base salary, the incoming CEO is eligible for an annual bonus of up to 250% of his base pay and will receive about $26.2 million per year in long-term stock incentives.
His annual target compensation totals about $35 million, excluding a separate one-time equity award of roughly $9.7 million tied to his promotion.
Though Walden’s base salary eclipses her boss’s, the structure ultimately preserves a traditional hierarchy, with the CEO retaining the larger total pay package — and the greater long-term upside.
The Post has sought comment from Disney.
D’Amaro, a nearly three-decade Disney veteran, was widely viewed by the board as a steady operator with deep institutional knowledge and a proven track record running the company’s most profitable businesses.
As head of Disney’s parks, experiences and consumer products division, he oversaw the segment that has generated the bulk of Disney’s operating income in recent years, navigating post-pandemic demand and large-scale capital expansions.
Walden was widely regarded as a formidable internal candidate, prized for her deep relationships across Hollywood and her stewardship of Disney’s television and streaming businesses.
But one report cited sources as saying that Walden’s close, decades-long relationship with former Vice President Kamala Harris may have weighed against her in the final decision.
Sources told Variety that Disney honchos expressed concern that elevating her to CEO could have put Disney in the Trump administration’s crosshairs.
A Disney source pushed back on the claim, calling it “completely false” and “uninformed speculation from people who weren’t involved in the decision.”
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