Overview
- Disney announced Sept. 22 that it will shift global licensing and publishing from Disney Consumer Products into Disney Entertainment—Studios, with the change taking effect Oct. 4, 2026.
- Cathleen Taff was named President, Disney Entertainment – Studios and Consumer Products and will report to Studios chairman Alan Bergman while keeping oversight of theatrical distribution, franchise management, Disney Theatrical Group and Disney Music Group.
- Lisa Baldzicki was promoted to Executive Vice President, Global Experience & Innovation and will report to Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum while running global parks merchandise, Disney Store operations and a new team to spot and scale consumer trends.
- Disney frames the reorganization as a move to better translate franchises into merchandise and publishing and to speed coordination between creative teams and commercial units, consistent with recent leadership calls to modernize the company’s operations.
- The company’s parks merchandise and owned retail businesses will remain inside Disney Experiences, the announcement did not emphasize public-facing layoffs, and consumers can expect future product and publishing tie-ins to align more closely with studio release plans.