Disney has appointed Cathleen Taff as president of a newly combined Disney Entertainment – Studios and Consumer Products organisation, a move the company says will deepen the connection between its content studios and product licensing and publishing operations. The change takes effect on 4 October.
What’s changing
Under the reorganisation, Disney’s global licensing and publishing businesses will move into the Disney Entertainment – Studios group. Parks merchandise, the Disney Store retail operations and DisneyStore.com will remain within Disney Experiences. The company has also created a new role — executive vice president of global experience and innovation — that will be filled by Lisa Baldzicki, the outgoing president of Disney Consumer Products (DCP).
- Cathleen Taff will report to Disney Entertainment – Studios chairman Alan Bergman and continue to oversee production services, franchise management and theatrical distribution across Disney’s film studios.
- Lisa Baldzicki will lead a newly formed team focused on identifying emerging trends and scaling successful ideas across Disney Experiences’ global portfolio, while retaining responsibility for Parks merchandise and the owned retail businesses.
- Disney Parks Merchandise, Disney Store and DisneyStore.com will stay under Disney Experiences, reporting to Disney Experiences chairman Thomas Mazloum.
The restructuring follows an announcement in August that Disney would move most of its Consumer Products licensing and publishing businesses into the Entertainment segment to align product teams more closely with content creators.
Why it matters
Bringing licensing and publishing closer to the studios is intended to create tighter integration between storytellers and the teams that monetise franchises through merchandise, books and other consumer products. That alignment can speed time-to-market for licensed items and help ensure products reflect creative intent and franchise strategy.
The move also preserves a distinction between the retail and parks merchandise operations and the content-linked licensing businesses. By keeping Parks merchandise and Disney Store operations within Disney Experiences under Baldzicki’s expanded remit, Disney appears to be balancing operational focus on hospitality, retail and guest experiences with studio-driven franchise expansion.
“Cathleen has been an invaluable partner and leader within our team, bringing the same creativity, rigor, and collaborative spirit to everything she does,”
The company quoted chairman Alan Bergman praising Taff’s leadership as it consolidates these functions.
Scope of Taff’s responsibilities
Taff already leads a broad swathe of Disney’s creative and commercial operations and will add licensing and publishing oversight to those duties. Her portfolio includes production services and theatrical distribution for the company’s studios — Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures — as well as leadership of Disney Theatrical Group and Disney Music Group.
| Role | Reports to | Main responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Cathleen Taff — President, Disney Entertainment – Studios & Consumer Products | Alan Bergman | Production services, franchise management, theatrical distribution, licensing and publishing, theatrical and music groups |
| Lisa Baldzicki — EVP, Global Experience & Innovation | Thomas Mazloum | Global Parks merchandise, owned retail (Disney Store, DisneyStore.com), emerging trends, scaling ideas across Disney Experiences |
For the entertainment industry, the adjustment signals a continued emphasis on maximising value from franchises across multiple platforms — film, theatre, music and merchandise — while preserving dedicated leadership for guest-facing retail and parks operations.
Observers will be watching how quickly licensing and publishing teams integrate with studio development cycles, and whether the realignment leads to closer creative collaboration or simply tighter commercial coordination. Either way, the change underlines Disney’s ongoing strategy to marshal its creative assets and consumer businesses in service of franchise growth.
Internally, the appointments keep experienced executives in charge of major revenue-generating arms of the company, with Taff expanding an already wide remit and Baldzicki moving into a role intended to surface global opportunities and innovation across guest experiences and retail.
