Kareem Daniel

Kareem Daniel is an American businessman and former media executive at The Walt Disney Company. During his tenure at Disney, he held executive roles in charge of film and television, sports, streaming, theme parks, and consumer products. Prior to Disney, Daniel worked in equity research and investment banking at Goldman Sachs, having begun his career as an electrical engineer. He is also on the board of directors for McDonald's.

Early life and education

Kareem Daniel attended Morgan Park Academy in Chicago. He went earned a degree in electrical engineering and an MBA from Stanford University. He then worked as an associate in equity and investment banking at Goldman Sachs before moving to the Walt Disney Company.

Career

After working as a computer programmer during the dot-com boom, Daniel enrolled in business school. His interest in film led him to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, and he interned at The Walt Disney Company while in business school. Upon graduation, he took a full-time position in the Walt Disney Company. He then worked in equity research and investment banking at Goldman Sachs from 2004 to 2007.

Daniel then returned to Disney, working as a Senior Business Planner and then as Director of Corporate Strategy, where he facilitated mergers and acquisitions. He was also Vice President of Distribution Strategy at Walt Disney Studios. Daniel worked on Disney's acquisition of Marvel in 2009.

Daniel moved to Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) as Executive Vice President of Global Business Operations. In 2019, he was promoted to President of WDI Business Operations, Product Creation, Games, and Publishing. In May 2020, Daniel was named President of Consumer Products, Gaming and Publishing.

In October 2020, Daniel was promoted to Chairman of the newly-created Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) division. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The division had a vast amount of responsibility, which included the distribution, operations, sales, advertising data and technology across all Disney content, and ultimately carried the weight of the group's profits and losses." In November 2022, Daniel was dismissed from his role at Disney by newly re-appointed CEO Bob Iger, who took over from Bob Chapek.

In October 2022, Daniel was elected to McDonald's board of directors.