James Gorman

James Patrick Gorman is an Australian-American businessman and financier born July 14, 1958, who became Chairman of the Board of The Walt Disney Company effective January 2, 2025. He received BA and law degrees from the University of Melbourne and an MBA degree from Columbia University. He began his career as an attorney in Melbourne, Australia before transitioning to financial services.

Gorman was a senior partner at McKinsey & Co. before holding executive positions at Merrill Lynch. He joined Morgan Stanley in February 2006 and was named Co-President in December 2007. He served as Morgan Stanley's Chief Executive Officer from 2010 to 2023 and Chairman from 2012 to 2023. During his tenure, he helped create the largest wealth management platform globally by leading the merger of Morgan Stanley's wealth management business with Citi's Smith Barney business in 2009, and Morgan Stanley announced multibillion-dollar acquisitions of E*trade and Eaton Vance in 2020.

Gorman is known for his expertise in succession planning, having oversaw the orderly transfer of power at Morgan Stanley with Ted Pick succeeding him as CEO at the start of 2024. He chairs Disney's Succession Planning Committee, working to identify and prepare the next chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company. He serves as a Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, Co-Chair of the Board of Overseers of the Columbia Business School, and Trustee of Columbia University. In January 2020, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

Career History

• Chairman Emeritus, Morgan Stanley (January 2025–present)
• Executive Chairman, Morgan Stanley (January–December 2024)
• Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Morgan Stanley (2010–2023)
• Senior Partner, McKinsey & Co.
• Executive positions at Merrill Lynch

What Gorman could bring to his Chairman role at Disney: Gorman's demonstrated expertise in executing seamless leadership transitions and his pragmatic, disciplined approach to long-term strategic planning position him to guide Disney through a critical succession period. His experience transforming major financial institutions, navigating complex regulatory environments post-2008 financial crisis, and building global wealth management platforms suggests he can provide strategic stability and operational guidance to Disney's board during the selection and transition of a new CEO. His background as both an attorney and management consultant, combined with his track record of fostering innovation and collaboration, offers a valuable perspective outside traditional media industry experience.