CEOs of the
Walt Disney Company
Text by Timothy Moore . Illustrations by Marisa Alvarado . Find her on Instagram @ behindtheearswdw
On-the-ground Cast Members make our trips magical , but we also appreciate the vision of the leaders who have curated these special experiences over the years .
Roy O . Disney ( 1929-1971 )
Believe it or not , Walt Disney never served as CEO of his own company . Instead , his older brother Roy took the reins from 1929 to 1971 . While Walt was the visionary of the company , Roy served as the money guy ; without his savvy financial decision-making , the film studios might not have survived its rough patch in the ’ 40s , and Walt certainly wouldn ’ t have been able to launch Disneyland . After Walt ’ s death , Roy postponed retirement to see Disney World to completion . He then retired and passed just two months later .
Donn Tatum ( 1971-1976 )
Roy O . Disney was not alone in building Walt
Disney World ; Donn Tatum , who also served as the first president of Walt Disney World Co ., was by his side every step of the way . Donn was then instrumental in the development of EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland , as CEO and then as chairman of the board , a role he held until 1980 . Donn stayed on the board until his resignation in 1992 , 36 years after first joining Disney as a business manager .
Card Walker ( 1976-1983 )
Esmond Cardon “ Card ” Walker had a long career with The Walt Disney Company , starting in the studio mailroom . Though his career was put on hold to join the Navy during WWII , Card returned to the company afterward , eventually becoming president of the company in 1971 and then CEO in 1976 until his retirement in 1983 . During this time , like Donn , Card was focused on EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland . He continued to serve as a consultant until 1990 and on the board through the end of the century .