Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston will be staying with the company through the transition to its new CEO. Disney extended Johnston’s contract to January 2029, a filing revealed on Wednesday.
Johnston joined the company in 2023 from PepsiCo, where he’d worked for 34 years, and has a frequent and steady voice alongside CEO Bob Iger on Disney’s quarterly earnings calls. The extension ensures continuity after Iger’s replacement as CEO is announced in 2026.
This also comes after Disney extended the contracts of chief communications officer Kristina Schake, chief legal and global affairs officer Horatio Gutierrez and chief people officer Sonia Coleman in recent weeks, shoring up a stable of top executives to support whoever is named as the new CEO.
Iger will step down from his post as CEO at the end of 2026, with his successor due to be named early next year. Disney appointed James Gorman chairman of the board in 2024, and he’s been leading the charge to find the next CEO.
