Disney’s head of theatrical distribution Tony Chambers will depart his role to lead the company’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division as president. The executive will replace current EMEA president Jan Koeppen, who is stepping down in February as part of a restructuring of the division.
Koeppen, who was appointed back in 2019, has been responsible for leading the EMEA business commercially and operationally in over 130 markets across the region, overseeing Disney+, motion pictures, television, content licensing, local original productions and stage plays, as well as strategy and business development. During his tenure, the EMEA division has seen double-digit revenue growth.
“I’m grateful for the incredible six years I have had at Disney, working with some of the most talented and creative people in the industry through a period of profound transformation and growth as we launched and established Disney+ in the region,” Koeppen said in a Tuesday statement. “I leave with a full heart and with great pride in the exceptional Disney EMEA team.”
Prior to joining Disney, Koeppen served as Fox Networks Group’s Europe & Africa president and 21st Century Fox Europe & Asia’s chief operating officer.
Chambers, who has been with Disney for 30 years, has overseen global film distribution, as well as home entertainment — including all films released under the Disney, Walt Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures labels. Prior to that, he served as senior vice president of studio distribution for Europe and U.K. and Ireland country manager.
He will now report to Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
“I’m truly honoured to be leading the world-class EMEA team in this new capacity,” Chambers said. “It’s a dynamic region that has gone through incredible, positive change over the past several years and I’m very eager now to build on that momentum.”
In connection with Chambers taking over the role, Disney will name a new global head of theatrical distribution in the near future.
The restructuring, which is aimed at ensuring “further unification” of Disney’s global strategy, will see the region’s direct-to-consumer, ad sales, platform distribution, networks, studio marketing, theatrical distribution and sports teams report directly to the leaders of those businesses.
Meanwhile, the EMEA president will continue to be the company’s representative in the region and be responsible for consolidating strategic priorities and financials, as well as coordinating teams at the regional level, leading local initiatives that span across businesses (excluding Disney Experiences) and overseeing shared service functions, including human resources, communications and finance.
Looking ahead, Disney plans to commit $5 billion over the next five years to produce more blockbuster movies and TV shows in the region, including local originals for Disney+.
“EMEA is a key region in terms of the success of our business globally, and as we realign our strategy for our entertainment businesses there, we are fortunate to transition between two fantastic leaders,” Bergman, Walden and Pitaro said in a joint statement. “Tony Chambers is a seasoned senior executive who has a highly collaborative style and stellar reputation in EMEA and across the company, and he brings a wealth of experience to this important new role. We look forward to continuing to accelerate our growth in EMEA and around the world, and we are immensely grateful for Jan’s exceptional contributions, which have made a meaningful and enduring difference to this team and the company during his tenure.”
