Disney Co. New Chief Communications Officer Paul Roeder Sets Team; April Carretta Upped, Adding Lead Comms Duties For President Dana Walden

Disney veteran Paul Roeder, the new Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at The Walt Disney Company, has finalized and announced his leadership team's structure in an internal memo circulated at the company's Burbank, California headquarters in late April 2025, establishing a clear reporting framework less than a month into his tenure. The move is a strategic step to streamline corporate communications and align messaging under his leadership following his recent appointment to the top communications role. The memo detailed Roeder's direct reports, confirming David Jefferson as Executive Vice President of Communications. A significant promotion within the announcement was for April Carretta, who has been elevated and will now assume lead communications responsibilities for Dana Walden, President of Disney General Entertainment Content. This expansion of Carretta's duties underscores the importance of providing dedicated, high-level strategic communications support to key business leaders like Walden, who oversees a vast portfolio including ABC Entertainment, Disney Branded Television, and Freeform. Roeder's swift action to define his team's organization signals his intent to bring immediate structure and clarity to Disney's global communications apparatus. As a long-time insider with deep institutional knowledge, his approach is expected to foster stability and enhance coordination across the company's diverse business units, from parks to studios to streaming. This restructuring is viewed as a foundational move to ensure the communications function operates efficiently and effectively supports Disney's broader corporate strategy and narrative in a competitive media landscape.