Credit: Inside the MagicDisney has been moving its executive chess pieces with notable frequency over the past several months and the pattern of promotions, departures, and structural reorganizations that has been playing out at the company’s highest levels tells a story about where Disney’s leadership is headed and how the organization is being rebuilt around the people Bob Iger and his team have decided to trust with the next chapter. Executive communications is one of the more strategically significant functions in any major media and entertainment company, the department responsible for shaping how the organization presents itself to the press, the public, investors, and its own employees across every business segment simultaneously.
When a company the size of Disney restructures that function, it is not a routine human resources decision. It is a signal about priorities, about which leaders have earned expanded responsibility, and about how the organization intends to manage its public narrative during a period of transition that is still very much in progress. The latest move in that ongoing reorganization is the promotion of April Carretta to Executive Vice President of Communications, a role that places her at the center of Disney’s communications structure as the primary communications lead for Dana Walden, the company’s President and Chief Creative Officer. The promotion comes alongside a broader set of structural changes that Chief Communications Officer Paul Roeder outlined in a company memo, reshaping reporting lines, expanding certain leaders’ portfolios, and signaling what Disney’s communications function will look like as the company moves forward under its current leadership configuration.
Who April Carretta Is and What the Promotion Means
April Carretta’s promotion to Executive Vice President of Communications represents a significant elevation from her previous role as head of communications for Disney’s direct-to-consumer business and tech and product teams. In her new position, she will continue leading public relations for those same areas while taking on expanded responsibility for Disney Entertainment, which now falls under Dana Walden rather than Disney Experiences, following the company’s recent organizational adjustments. The promotion makes Carretta the direct communications partner for one of Disney’s most powerful executives at a moment when Walden’s creative influence over the company’s direction is considerable.
Disney Promotes April Carretta to EVP of Communications, Exec to Lead PR for Dana Walden https://t.co/woWyKpwnsp
— Variety (@Variety) April 9, 2026
Before joining Disney, Carretta held senior communications roles at Twentieth Century Fox, Edelman, and Sony Pictures, giving her a background that spans studio publicity, corporate communications, and agency work across some of the most significant organizations in the entertainment industry. She will report to Paul Roeder, who himself recently stepped into the Chief Communications Officer role following the announced departure of Kristina Schake.
The Broader Disney Reorganization Roeder Laid Out
Carretta’s promotion is the headline item from the memo Paul Roeder shared with the organization, but the document also outlines a broader set of changes to how Disney’s communications function is being structured across its various business segments.
David Jefferson, EVP of communications, will continue leading day-to-day corporate communications, including public affairs, media relations, and corporate social responsibility, while also taking on expanded responsibility for Disney’s international communications teams. He will work with regional communications leads covering Asia Pacific, EMEA, and Latin America, each of whom will continue reporting to their regional presidents and now also to Jefferson.
Mimi Fong, VP of communications, will join Carretta’s team to support Disney’s international content communications, working alongside the presidents of Disney Television Studios and Disney Entertainment’s direct-to-consumer. Carrie Brown, SVP of internal communications, will now report directly to Roeder and will continue leading enterprise-wide employee communications and engagement, as well as internal communications support for Disney’s corporate functions.
Mariana Vaca has joined Roeder’s team as director of communications to work across Disney’s communications teams company-wide. Vaca previously served as director of external communications for Walt Disney Studios.
How the Disney Business Segment Communications Structure Is Changing
The communications leads for Disney’s major business segments are largely remaining in their existing roles, but with some adjustments to reporting lines that reflect the broader organizational changes underway at the company.
Alannah Hall-Smith is the EVP of communications and public affairs for Disney Experiences. She reports to Thomas Mazloum, the new chairman of Disney Experiences, and Roeder. Josh Krulewitz is the EVP of ESPN Communications and reports to Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of ESPN, and Roeder. Naomi Bulochnikov is the EVP of communications for Disney Entertainment. She leads communication for Disney Entertainment Television and reports to Debra O’Connell, the chairman of entertainment TV, and Roeder. Bridget Osterhaus is the VP of communications for Disney’s Platform Distribution. She will now report to both Bulochnikov and Krulewitz. Erin Barrier was recently promoted to SVP of communications for Walt Disney Studios. She reports to Alan Bergman, the chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and Roeder.
Exciting news for Disney! Looking forward to seeing how April Carretta shapes the PR strategy under Dana Walden.
— Kingzz (@Mudiakingsley) April 9, 2026
The structure that emerges from these changes is one in which Roeder sits at the center of a communications organization with clearly defined lanes for each business segment, while Carretta assumes the elevated role of serving the company’s top creative executive directly. For a company navigating as much change as Disney is currently managing across its streaming, studio, parks, and television businesses, having that communications infrastructure clearly defined and appropriately resourced is not a minor operational detail.
Disney is reorganizing. The communications structure being put in place right now is designed to support whatever comes next.