He holds a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Duke University.

Disney’s move comes amid ongoing restructuring across streaming, entertainment, and parks operations as it pursues technology-driven efficiencies and adapts to changing audience behavior and monetization in the media sector.

The press release includes standard forward-looking statements about plans and expectations and notes that these statements are subject to change.

Disney is a diversified international entertainment company with three segments—Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences—and reported about $94.4 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025.

Williams retired from Apple earlier in 2025 after a long career overseeing global supply chain, service and support operations, and design leadership, including involvement in the Apple Watch and health/fitness strategy.

Disney nominates former Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams for a seat on its Board of Directors, with Williams standing for election at the 2026 annual meeting as an independent director, expanding the board from 10 to 11 members if he wins.

Front-runners to succeed Bob Iger are believed to be Josh D’Amaro, who runs Disney’s theme parks, and Dana Walden, co-chair of entertainment, with internal candidates favored.

Disney aims to leverage Williams’ operational rigor and design sensibility to address challenges in theme parks, streaming, and global content distribution.

In July 2024, Safra Catz departed Disney’s board; she later joined Paramount Skydance under different leadership.

Disney and Apple have collaborated on initiatives such as supporting the launch of Apple Vision Pro, reflecting a close, evolving relationship.

The nomination stems from an already close collaboration between Disney and Apple, including work on Apple Vision Pro and other spatial computing initiatives, suggesting strategic alignment beyond public partnerships.

Industry context notes that the move reflects a broader trend of technology becoming central to strategic governance in traditional entertainment and media companies, with Williams poised to influence Disney’s tech-led growth.