James Gorman

James P. Gorman
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Birthplace	Australia
Nationality	Australian-American
Occupation	Business executive, corporate director
Title	Chairman of the Board, The Walt Disney Company
Known for	Chairman and former CEO of Morgan Stanley; Chairman of the Board of The Walt Disney Company

James Patrick Gorman (born 1958) is an Australian-American business executive who served as chairman and chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley, one of the largest investment banks and financial services firms in the world. After retiring from Morgan Stanley, Gorman transitioned into a prominent role in the entertainment industry, becoming chairman of the board of The Walt Disney Company effective January 2, 2025. In addition to his Disney role, Gorman joined General Atlantic, a leading global investment firm, as a senior advisor in March 2025. Born in Australia, Gorman built his career across multiple continents and became one of the most influential figures in global finance during his tenure atop Morgan Stanley, where he led the firm through a period of strategic transformation. His post-retirement move into the Disney chairmanship, where he has overseen the high-profile CEO succession process to replace Bob Iger, has placed him at the center of one of the most closely watched corporate leadership transitions in the entertainment sector.

Early Life

James Patrick Gorman was born in 1958 in Australia. He grew up in Melbourne, where he was raised in a large family. Gorman's upbringing in Australia shaped his early worldview before he eventually pursued higher education and career opportunities that would take him to the United States and into the upper echelons of global finance.

Details about Gorman's childhood and family background during his formative years in Australia remain limited in publicly available sources. What is documented is that Gorman's trajectory from Australia to the pinnacle of American corporate life represents one of the more notable trans-Pacific career arcs in the financial services industry.

Career

Morgan Stanley

James Gorman rose through the ranks of Morgan Stanley to become the firm's chief executive officer and later its executive chairman. During his leadership of the firm, Gorman was credited with reshaping Morgan Stanley's business model, steering it toward wealth management and away from the riskier trading activities that had imperiled many investment banks during the global financial crisis of 2007–2008. His tenure as CEO spanned over a decade, during which Morgan Stanley's market capitalization and profitability grew substantially.

Gorman's leadership of Morgan Stanley established his reputation as one of the most consequential banking executives of his generation. Under his direction, the firm made several significant acquisitions and strategic pivots that repositioned it within the financial services landscape. He eventually transitioned from the CEO role to executive chairman before retiring from the firm altogether, setting the stage for his next chapter in corporate governance.

Chairman of The Walt Disney Company

Following his retirement from Morgan Stanley, Gorman sought what has been described as "a meaty challenge," which materialized in the form of the chairmanship of The Walt Disney Company's board of directors. On January 2, 2025, Gorman officially assumed the role of chairman of Disney's board, succeeding Mark Parker, who departed after nine years of service on the Disney board.

Gorman's appointment came at a critical juncture for Disney. The company was in the midst of one of the most closely scrutinized CEO succession processes in corporate America, as the board sought a successor to longtime CEO Bob Iger, who had returned from a brief retirement in November 2022 to lead the company through a turbulent period. Gorman took on direct responsibility for overseeing this succession process, a task that became one of the defining elements of his early tenure as chairman.

In early 2026, the succession process culminated in the board's unanimous selection of Josh D'Amaro as Disney's next CEO. In a public discussion about the process, Gorman stated that the CEO selection had been "done cleanly" and was the result of a unanimous board vote. Gorman also offered a broader assessment of Disney's strategic position, asserting in a February 2026 interview with CNBC that "strategically, there's nothing wrong with this company" and that Disney was "extremely undervalued."

The Los Angeles Times reported on the internal dynamics of the Disney CEO search, describing how Gorman, after retiring from Morgan Stanley, had been drawn to the Disney chairmanship precisely because of the complexity and significance of the succession challenge it presented. Gorman's background in finance and corporate governance was seen as a complementary skill set for a media and entertainment conglomerate navigating rapid changes in the streaming, theme park, and content production businesses.

In his CNBC appearance, Gorman discussed the succession plan at length, providing one of his most detailed public accounts of how the board arrived at its decision to appoint D'Amaro. His public communications as Disney chairman have been characterized by directness and confidence in the company's strategic positioning, consistent with the communication style he was known for during his years leading Morgan Stanley.

General Atlantic Senior Advisor

On March 27, 2025, General Atlantic, a leading global investment firm, announced that James Gorman had joined the firm as a senior advisor. The appointment added another dimension to Gorman's post-Morgan Stanley career, placing him in an advisory capacity at one of the world's most prominent growth equity and private investment firms. The role at General Atlantic, which Gorman holds alongside his Disney chairmanship, reflects the breadth of his involvement across the corporate and investment worlds following his departure from day-to-day management at Morgan Stanley.

General Atlantic described Gorman's addition to its advisory ranks as a significant enhancement to the firm's leadership resources, drawing on his decades of experience in financial services and corporate strategy.

Personal Life

James Gorman was born in Australia and later became an American citizen, holding dual Australian-American nationality. After building his career primarily in the United States, Gorman has maintained a profile that bridges both countries. He is known for being relatively private about his personal and family life compared to the level of public attention his professional roles have attracted.

Following his retirement from Morgan Stanley and his assumption of the Disney chairmanship, reporting by the Los Angeles Times indicated that Gorman had been seeking a substantive professional challenge rather than a quiet retirement, suggesting a temperament oriented toward continued active engagement in high-stakes corporate matters.

Recognition

James Gorman's career at Morgan Stanley earned him recognition as one of the most prominent figures in global banking and financial services. His leadership of the firm during and after its post-financial crisis transformation was frequently cited in industry analyses and financial press coverage as a case study in strategic repositioning.

His appointment as chairman of The Walt Disney Company in 2025 was itself a mark of recognition, as Disney's board selected him to lead the governance of one of the world's most valuable and culturally significant media companies at a critical transition point. The role placed him at the intersection of finance and entertainment, two industries in which he has been a prominent figure.

Gorman's selection as a senior advisor to General Atlantic further underscored his standing in the investment community, with the firm publicly highlighting the value of his experience and judgment.

Legacy

As of early 2026, James Gorman's legacy continues to take shape across multiple domains. At Morgan Stanley, he is associated with the firm's transformation from a trading-heavy investment bank into a more diversified financial services institution with a significant wealth management business. This strategic shift, executed over more than a decade, altered the risk profile and earnings stability of one of Wall Street's most storied firms.

At Disney, Gorman's legacy will likely be measured in part by the outcome of the CEO succession process he oversaw. His public statements about the process—including his assertion that the selection of Josh D'Amaro was "done cleanly" via unanimous board vote—suggest that he views orderly and transparent governance as a central tenet of effective corporate leadership. His characterization of Disney as "extremely undervalued" also positions him as a chairman with a clear strategic viewpoint about the company's potential, setting expectations for the new CEO and the board under his continued chairmanship.

Gorman's career arc from Australia to the leadership of two of America's most recognized corporate institutions—Morgan Stanley and Disney—represents a significant cross-industry and cross-continental trajectory. His ongoing roles at Disney and General Atlantic indicate that his influence on corporate strategy and governance is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.