Asad Ayaz was named the Walt Disney Company’s first-ever chief brand officer. Ayaz will report directly to Bob Iger.

Asad Ayaz has been promoted to be the first-ever chief brand officer of The Walt Disney Company, effective immediately. Bob Iger announced this on Thursday. In this newly created role, Ayaz will be responsible for stewarding and elevating the Disney brand globally across the company. Ayaz will also continue as president of marketing for The Walt Disney Studios. He will oversee all marketing and publicity aspects for the Studios’ films, series, and Disney+ globally, reporting to Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman.

“Asad is an exceptional creative leader with a deep understanding of what Disney means to millions of people worldwide,” Iger said. “His taking on this role is particularly noteworthy and consequential as we commemorate our historic 100th anniversary, and I am confident that his strategic, operational, and creative prowess, along with his profound passion for Disney, will make him an outstanding steward of our stories, characters, brands, and franchises.”

Chief Brand Officer

As the chief brand officer, Ayaz will develop and execute holistic marketing campaigns leveraging and synthesizing the company’s vast content and consumer experiences. In describing this, Disney talked about Ayaz activating the brand internally and externally through partnerships and providing guidance and alignment for the company’s digital and social media strategy and presence. He will set corporate synergy and franchise priorities in consultation with Iger. He will lead a global consumer research and analytics function focused on Disney’s brands and franchises to inform actionable cross-platform initiatives.

“Throughout both my early life and my time at the company, I’ve marveled at the power of Disney’s storytelling, experiences, and simply the name itself to inspire people and resonate through generations,” said Ayaz. “I am immensely grateful to Bob for entrusting me with this opportunity, and I’m excited to work with the amazing teams around our company to highlight all the things that make Disney exceptional and ensure that we continue to create those meaningful connections with audiences for many more generations to come.”

Disney100

Among other cross-company brand initiatives, Ayaz will oversee the Disney100 campaign as the company celebrates its 100th year. He recently led the development and creation of the Disney100 Special Look spot that debuted in this year’s Super Bowl, as well as the Studios’ new 100-year logo refresh now appearing on all Disney-branded films.

An 18-year Disney veteran, Ayaz has developed and led marketing campaigns for some of the most successful film releases in history, including Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” and the global phenomenon “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Also, as an award-winning marketing leader, Ayaz has received multiple industry honors, including Variety’s Marketing Visionaries Award and The Clio Marketing Mastermind Award. He was recently named one of Forbes Most Influential CMOs, and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business.

In recent years, the Disney brand has faced some difficult obstacles. Fewer people have loved the Disney brand and all its properties in the last few years. Disney still reigns as king of the mountain in entertainment and theme parks. However, the discussions of the Disney brand, especially in the media, have shown the company in a bad light. This may explain the need for a new position in charge of branding. Based on Ayaz reporting directly to Iger, this position will have significant power in the Disney Company.

What would you like to see Asad Ayaz do in this new position? Let us know in the comment below.