Taff takes the helm of Disney’s product kingdom, Baldzicki steps up

Disney announced on Thursday that its global licensing and publishing arm will move under the Studios umbrella effective Oct. 4, while parks‑merchandise and Disney Store operations remain with Experiences. The shift is designed to align licensing and publishing more closely with Disney’s creative content groups.

The company also revealed new executive appointments to lead the restructured units.

## Background & Context

The reorganization places the Consumer Products division directly beneath the Studios hierarchy, creating a tighter link between product development and film, TV, and theme‑park storytelling.

Parks merchandise and retail will stay within the Experiences unit, preserving the current structure for Disney Stores worldwide and DisneyStore.com. This realignment follows years of integration efforts aimed at streamlining brand‑to‑consumer pathways across the company’s global businesses.

Cathleen Taff has been promoted to President, Disney Entertainment – Studios and Consumer Products, reporting to Studios Chairman Alan Bergman.

Taff will oversee the newly transferred Consumer Products businesses and continue to manage production services, franchise management, and theatrical distribution for studio labels such as Disney, Walt Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures.

She will also retain leadership of Disney Theatrical Group and Disney Music Group.

A 30‑year Disney veteran, Taff has held a spectrum of senior roles within the studio organization. Her experience spans technology and operations, labor relations, franchise groups, and the company’s stage‑production and music arms.

In her most recent capacity as head of theatrical distribution, she guided two record‑setting years in worldwide box office history, including a $11 billion haul in 2019 and seven blockbuster releases over the past three years: Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Moana 2, Lilo & Stitch, Zootopia 2, Avatar: Fire & Ash, and this summer’s Toy Story 5.

Lisa Baldzicki will continue to run Disney Parks merchandise with expanded duties over global parks‑merchandise and owned‑and‑operated retail outlets, including Disney Store locations worldwide and DisneyStore.com. She reports to Chairman of Disney Experiences Thomas Mazloum.

Baldzicki will lead a newly formed team tasked with spotting emerging trends and scaling successful concepts across the Experiences portfolio. As EVP, Global Experience & Innovation, she will collaborate closely with each business’s leadership team to drive retail and merchandising initiatives.

## What People Are Saying

Mazloum praised Baldzicki’s fit for the expanded role, saying, “Lisa is a proven leader who brings together industry expertise, strategic vision, and a genuine passion for Disney storytelling.

I’m thrilled to have her in a new role where her unique ability to anticipate what resonates with consumers and translate those insights into meaningful experiences that can scale will help shape the future of our businesses across Disney Experiences.”

Taff’s appointment reflects Disney’s confidence in her deep understanding of the studio ecosystem and consumer expectations. While no statement from Taff is included in the release, her track record demonstrates a capacity to bridge creative content and commercial execution.

## What Happens Next

From Oct. 4 onward, all licensing and publishing activities will operate under the Studios umbrella, reporting through Taff’s new leadership. The change is expected to streamline decision‑making for product development tied to studio releases, reducing duplication of effort across the company’s multiple divisions.

Baldzicki’s newly formed trend‑identification team will begin evaluating emerging retail concepts immediately, with a focus on integrating consumer insights into parks and store experiences worldwide.

Her responsibilities also extend to overseeing the global rollout of innovative merchandising strategies across Disney’s theme‑park and retail channels.

In sum, Disney’s restructuring brings its consumer products operations closer to the creative engines that generate them, while keeping retail and park‑merchandise under a unified Experiences umbrella.

The appointments of Taff and Baldzicki signal the company’s intent to blend storytelling with commercial strategy in a more integrated framework.