Major Changes Hit Disney Executive Leadership

Disney has been going through some serious changes lately.

Walt and Mickey

After CEO Bob Chapek was replaced by Bob Iger, more executives left the company. Disney also recently named a new Chairman of the Board, Mark Parker, and now it looks like more personnel changes are taking place at The Walt Disney Company.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, senior vice president of corporate communications for Disney General Entertainment (DGE), Charissa Gilmore, is leaving the company after more than 30 years.

©Disney

She is being replaced by Naomi Bulochnikov-Paul, who will take up the newly created position of executive vice president of publicity and head of communications for DGE. Candice Ashton will also be signing on to Disney Television Studios. Ashton is currently the senior vice president of publicity, events, and talent relations at Hulu.

©The Hollywood Reporter

The changes were announced by DGE chairman Dana Walden, who shared, “Naomi is a respected communications leader and sharp strategist who has built strong relationships with press, talent and executives.”

She added, speaking of Ashton, “Her expertise and creativity are valued by her team and will be a perfect fit for Disney Television Studios.”

Walt Disney Studios

Bulochnikov-Paul will head up internal and external communications for DGE while maintaining her role for ABC’s entertainment and news divisions, Freeform, and Onyx Collective.

Walt Disney Company Headquarters ©LA Times

Charissa Gilmore leaves Disney after more than 30 years with the company, her most recent role being senior vice president of corporate communications beginning in May 2022. You can read Walden’s full memo with the announcement below:

“Team,

I wanted to share some news. After more than 30 years of service across multiple brands, and in support of numerous grateful executives like myself, Charissa Gilmore will be leaving the company. We are so thankful to Charissa for her dedication, her many contributions, as well as her steady hand that helped navigate our teams over the years.

Effective immediately, Naomi Bulochnikov-Paul, who has worked closely with so many of you, will be expanding her purview in the newly created role of Executive Vice President, Publicity, and Head of Communications for Disney General Entertainment. In this position, Naomi will oversee all external and internal communications for DGE and serve as its main spokesperson. She will also continue to lead publicity for ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Freeform and Onyx Collective. She will be joining my leadership team and reporting to Shannon Ryan for publicity and Kristina Schake for communications.

Naomi is a respected communications leader and sharp strategist who has built strong relationships with press, talent and executives. She has an incredible track record and her commitment to excellence will serve us well during this exciting and pivotal moment in our Company, and in the years ahead.

In light of this news, Candice Ashton, currently SVP, Publicity, Events and Talent Relations for Hulu Originals, will now assume oversight of the Disney Television Studios publicity team. Candice has established herself as a thought leader at Hulu Originals, where she has overseen publicity campaigns for some of our most successful shows and helped position Hulu as a top streaming platform. Her expertise and creativity are valued by her team and will be a perfect fit for Disney Television Studios.

Please join me in wishing Charissa the very best as she embarks on her next chapter and in congratulating Naomi and Candice.

Warmest regards,

Dana”

Cinderella Castle

Change is in the air at Disney, and you can be sure we’ll be keeping up with it all — so stay tuned to DFB for the latest news! Want to learn more about Bob Iger’s return as Disney’s CEO? Check out these posts:

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