The Walt Disney Co names Karandeep Anand to newly created role of Chief Technology Officer

The Walt Disney Company has appointed Karandeep Anand as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, a newly created position, effective October 2.

Anand, who most recently served as CEO of Character.AI, will report directly to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro.

In his new role, Anand will oversee Disney’s enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product and engineering functions.

“Karandeep brings a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI, and will be a vital addition to Disney’s senior leadership team as we further our three priorities: great storytelling as our North Star, technology in service of creativity, and operating as One Disney,” said D’Amaro.

“He is an expert builder and strategist, technical and product-minded, with sharp instincts for what fans actually want. He also has real enthusiasm and respect for Disney, a clear sense of where technology and creativity meet, and shares our belief that technology creates the most value when it helps people do their best work,” he added.

Anand said, “I’ve admired Disney my entire life for how it blends unforgettable storytelling with the latest technology to constantly push the boundaries of what entertainment can be.”

“I’m honored to join a team with such extraordinary creative talent, and I look forward to building on the company’s impressive technology capabilities to help Disney connect fans worldwide with its beloved stories and characters in new and innovative ways,” he added.

Before joining Disney, Anand was President and Chief Product Officer at fintech company Brex, following his stint as CEO of Character.AI.

Earlier, he held several leadership positions at Meta, most recently serving as Vice President of Ads & Business Products. Before Meta, Anand spent 15 years at Microsoft, where he held senior product and engineering roles and was part of the team that built the Azure platform.