Disney Promotes April Carretta to Comms EVP as Part of Team Reorg

Disney has promoted April Carretta to executive vice president of communications, reporting to Chief Communications Officer Paul Roeder. As part of her duties, she will serve as the lead communications representative for Dana Walden, who recently became the new president and chief creative officer of Disney under CEO Josh D’Amaro.

Carretta will continue her previous duties as head of communications for Disney’s direct-to-consumer business, tech and product divisions, and will add Disney’s gaming division to her purview.

In a memo to Disney employees announcing Carretta’s promotion, Roeder also announced that Disney’s comms leadership would be reorganized with a series of promotions and reassignments.

“As Josh and Dana begin shaping this next chapter for our company, I’ve been reflecting on the role Communications will play in helping us succeed, and, just as importantly, the people who make that possible,” Roeder said in the memo.

Disney’s communication shuffle includes the following moves:

— EVP David Jefferson, who oversees day-to-day corporate communications, will also now lead Disney’s international communications teams, working with regional comms leads: Belina Tan (APAC), Amy Holland (EMEA) and Felicitas Castrillon (Latin America), who each will continue to report to their respective regional presidents and now also to Jefferson.

— VP Mimi Fong will join Carretta’s content communications team, working with Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios, and Joe Earley, president of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment.

— SVP of Internal Communications Carrie Brown will continue in her duties overseeing enterprise-wide communications within Disney, now reporting directly to Roeder.

— Mariana Vaca, director of communications for Walt Disney Studios, will now join Roeder’s team as a director.

Roeder also announced a new lineup of segment communication leads:

• Alannah Hall-Smith, EVP, communications and public affairs, Disney Experiences, will continue in the role, reporting to Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum and Roeder.
• Josh Krulewitz, EVP, ESPN Communications, will continue to dual-report to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Roeder.
• Naomi Bulochnikov, EVP, communications, Disney Entertainment, will continue leading comms for Disney Entertainment Television, including advertising, dual-reporting to entertainment TV chairman Debra OConnell and Roeder.
• Bridget Osterhaus, VP, communications, will continue leading comms for Disney’s Platform Distribution organization and will now report to Bulochnikov and Krulewitz.
• Erin Barrier, SVP, communications, Walt Disney Studios, was recently promoted to this role and will report to studio chairman Alan Bergman and Roeder.

“This group brings deep expertise, strong judgment and genuine care for this company and for one another,” Roeder said in a statement. “I’ve seen each of them lead, and I’m thrilled to be doing this alongside them — and, of course, all of you. More than anything, I’m excited about what we can build together from here. We have a real opportunity in front of us, and I’m looking forward to what we can accomplish together.”

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