Disney Puts Consumer Products Under Cathleen Taff

Disney is moving its global licensing and publishing operations closer to the studios that create its biggest franchises. Effective October 4, those consumer-products businesses will become part of Disney Entertainment – Studios, with veteran executive Cathleen Taff leading the combined organization.

Taff has been named president of Disney Entertainment – Studios and Consumer Products. She will report to studios chairman Alan Bergman while retaining oversight of production services, franchise management and theatrical distribution. Her existing portfolio spans Disney’s major film labels, including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures, as well as Disney Theatrical Group and Disney Music Group.

Licensing moves closer to the studios

The structure is designed to connect licensing and publishing decisions more directly with the teams developing films, series and franchises. Disney first outlined the broader shift in August; Tuesday’s announcement established the leadership assignments and the October launch date.

Not every retail operation is moving. Disney Parks merchandise, Disney Store locations and DisneyStore.com will remain within Disney Experiences. That separation keeps the parks and owned retail network with the division responsible for the company’s destination and guest businesses, while global licensing and publishing join the entertainment studio group.

Lisa Baldzicki takes an expanded Experiences role

Lisa Baldzicki, who most recently led Disney Consumer Products, will become executive vice president of global experience and innovation for Disney Experiences. She will continue overseeing parks merchandise and take expanded responsibility for global parks products and Disney’s owned retail businesses. Her new team will also look for trends and ideas that can be scaled across the Experiences portfolio.

The appointments clarify how two parts of the former consumer-products structure will operate after the split. Taff’s side will focus on franchise licensing and publishing in coordination with creative units. Baldzicki’s group will concentrate on merchandise and retail experiences tied to parks and Disney’s own stores.

For audiences, the immediate change is organizational rather than a newly announced product line. The longer-term significance lies in who controls the path from screen stories to books, licensed goods and retail programs. Disney is betting that placing those decisions nearer its studios can shorten that path without folding its parks merchandise business into the same chain of command.