The Walt Disney Company has made a landmark move in its marketing leadership, establishing a new enterprise-wide marketing and brand organization led by Asad Ayaz as its first-ever Chief Marketing and Brand Officer. Announced on January 14, 2026, the restructuring aims to unify Disney’s marketing teams across its entertainment, sports, and experiences segments, fostering greater brand consistency and consumer connectivity in an evolving media landscape. Ayaz, who has spent over two decades at Disney, steps into the role after serving as President of Marketing for The Walt Disney Studios and leading efforts for Disney+. Since 2023, he has also acted as Chief Brand Officer, overseeing global brand initiatives, alliances, and events. Reporting directly to CEO Bob Iger and collaborating with segment chairs like Disney Entertainment Co-Chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, and Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro, Ayaz will harness shared capabilities and modern tools to elevate campaigns and advance business goals enterprise-wide.
Disney’s leadership praised Ayaz’s track record in bringing the company’s magic to global audiences. “As our businesses have evolved, it’s clear that we need a company-wide role that ensures brand consistency and allows consumers today to seamlessly interact with our wonderful products and experiences,” Iger said in the announcement. The joint statement from Bergman, Walden, D’Amaro, and Pitaro echoed this sentiment, calling Ayaz an “exceptional creative leader with strong strategic and operational prowess.” This appointment signals Disney’s push toward a more agile, unified approach amid competitive pressures from streaming rivals and fragmented consumer attention, building on Ayaz’s prior successes in stewarding iconic franchises.
Across the beverage sector, Coca-Cola is expanding the influence of its top marketer, Manolo Arroyo, who will assume the role of executive vice president and chief marketing and customer commercial officer starting in March. The promotion broadens Arroyo’s remit to integrate marketing with customer commercial strategies, reflecting Coca-Cola’s ongoing emphasis on blending creativity with commerce in a retail-dominated world. Complementing this shift, the company has created a new chief digital officer position, appointing former marketer Sedef Salingan Sahin to drive digital innovation. Sahin’s background positions her to navigate the soda giant’s digital transformation, from e-commerce partnerships to data-driven personalization amid rising demand for connected consumer experiences.
Gap, the apparel retailer seeking to reinvigorate its cultural relevance, has turned to Hollywood for fresh momentum by hiring Pam Kaufman as executive vice president and chief entertainment officer. In this newly created role, the former Paramount executive will spearhead Gap’s “Fashiontainment” platform, weaving together entertainment, content, and licensing across music, TV, film, sports, gaming, consumer products, and cultural collaborations. The move underscores Gap’s ambition to transcend traditional retail by embedding itself in pop culture narratives, potentially through high-profile partnerships that blend fashion with storytelling.
In the electric vehicle space, Rivian has tapped retail marketing veteran Greg Revelle as chief customer officer. Revelle, who previously served as CMO at Best Buy and Kohl’s, brings expertise in customer-centric strategies honed at major consumer electronics and department store chains. His appointment comes as Rivian scales production and ramps up direct-to-consumer sales, aiming to enhance the ownership experience for eco-conscious buyers in a crowded EV market.
Luxury fashion house Coach is bolstering its international marketing footprint with the appointment of Arjoon Bose as vice president of marketing for EMEA and India. Bose, a veteran of Bel and General Mills, will focus on region-specific campaigns that leverage Coach’s heritage while adapting to diverse consumer preferences in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the booming Indian market. This hire reflects a broader trend among global brands to install leaders with proven agility in multicultural, high-growth territories.
These appointments highlight a dynamic week in brand leadership, with companies from entertainment behemoths to retail innovators prioritizing unified strategies, digital prowess, and entertainment-infused marketing. As consumer behaviors shift toward immersive, cross-platform experiences, executives like Ayaz, Arroyo, and Kaufman are positioned to bridge creative vision with operational execution, setting the stage for bolder campaigns in 2026. The revolving door of talent underscores the high stakes: in a landscape defined by rapid innovation, the right leaders can turn brand evolution into competitive advantage.