Disney Executive to Serve on Major Presidential Council

In early February, Disney held its first quarter earnings call for the 2023 fiscal year. It was Bob Iger’s first earnings call since he stepped back into the CEO role after the firing of Bob Chapek. During the call, Iger announced a number of things — like 7,000 Cast Member layoffs — and shared that Dana Walden would be named co-chair of Disney Entertainment, alongside Alan Bergman. Until that point, Walden had been in charge of Disney General Entertainment Content, after the firing of Peter Rice.

Walden’s promotion to co-chair of Disney Entertainment was a big part of Bob Iger’s plan to bring creative power back to Disney’s creatives. That creative power had been taken and given to non-creatives while Chapek was in charge. Walden — who came to Disney when the company purchased 21st Century Fox — has taken the bull by the horns with her new leadership role, and has made some big changes, with new creative leadership helping focus on new and original content.

Now, Disney’s Dana Walden is adding another position to her resume — a member of President Joe Biden’s Export Council. The President’s Export Council advises President Biden on international trade. Here is more information on Walden’s new position and the people she will be working with, per Deadline:

Walden was appointed along with two dozen other executives, including Qualcomm CEO Cristiano R. Amon, Citi CEO Jane Fraser, Ford CFO John Lawler and CVS Health CEO Karen S. Lynch. The council also includes union leaders and legal experts. Another media industry appointee was Michelle W. Singer, senior vice president for political engagement at Comcast.

According to the White House, the council “advises the President of government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labor, and government sectors.”

This is not the first time a Disney executive has worked on a Presidential council. In 2017, CEO Bob Iger worked on President Donald Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum. The Forum was designed to help advise President Trump about how to increase economic growth and create jobs. However, Iger resigned from the forum when President Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accords. The Accords — in which 196 countries participate — were created in 2015 to help fight climate change.