Disney’s chief communications officer, Kristina Schake, will leave the company after March 18, the same day Bob Iger’s tenure as chief executive ends and Josh D’Amaro takes over, according to a company announcement released Tuesday. The departure lands in the middle of Disney’s leadership handoff and removes one of Iger’s closest senior advisers during a period of corporate restructuring, proxy fights and the company’s push to steady its streaming business.
Disney said Schake, a senior executive vice president, joined in 2022 and advised both the CEO and the board. In its statement, the company credited her with helping shape communications around Iger’s return in November 2022, two proxy contests, streaming profitability, Hulu’s integration into Disney+, the Abu Dhabi resort announcement, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer launch, and the recent succession plan that elevated D’Amaro and Dana Walden. Disney added that it will name a successor later.
A regulatory filing added details that sharpen the picture: Disney said it exercised its right on Feb. 20 to terminate Schake “without cause,” effective March 19, and that she will receive separation benefits under her existing employment agreement. That disclosure came after Disney extended Schake’s contract in October 2025 through June 2027 and raised her base salary, making the timing of her exit notable inside the company.
In public statements, Iger praised Schake as a trusted strategist and adviser, while Schake said Disney was in a “vastly different place” than when she arrived and said she had confidence in D’Amaro and Walden. Trade coverage has framed the move as part of a wider executive reset around the incoming CEO, whose appointment followed a closely watched succession process after Disney’s previous handover to Bob Chapek unraveled.
Schake came to Disney after a career spanning politics, government and tech, including senior communications roles tied to the Biden administration, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and Instagram. That background gave Disney a Washington-tested communicator during years marked by labor strife, political pressure and investor activism.
