The Walt Disney Company has appointed Indian-origin technology executive Karandeep Anand as its first company-wide Chief Technology Officer, creating a new senior leadership position as the entertainment major increases its focus on technology, data and artificial intelligence.
Anand will join Disney as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer effective October 2, 2026. He will report directly to Disney Chief Executive Officer Josh D'Amaro, the company announced on September 18.
In the newly created role, Anand will oversee enterprise technology, infrastructure, data and AI platforms, product and engineering. He will work across Disney's segment technology teams as the company looks to modernise how technology is developed and deployed across its businesses.
The appointment brings an executive with experience spanning enterprise technology, consumer products, cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence into Disney's senior leadership team. Anand most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Character.AI, the conversational AI platform.
Several members of Character.AI's technical team are also expected to join Disney alongside Anand, according to the company.
Before Character.AI, Anand served as President and Chief Product Officer at fintech company Brex. He also spent several years at Meta, where his responsibilities included business products and advertising technology. Earlier in his career, Anand had a long stint at Microsoft, where he worked across product and technology functions, including the company's Azure cloud business.
Anand completed his undergraduate studies in computer science at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad. He also holds a certification in marketing and strategy from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Disney said the appointment forms part of its broader effort to strengthen technology as a company-wide capability. D'Amaro has identified storytelling, technology supporting creativity and a more integrated "One Disney" operating approach among the company's priorities.
The company is also looking to deepen its direct digital relationships with consumers, with Disney+ positioned as an important part of its connected consumer strategy. Anand's remit across product, engineering, infrastructure, data and AI gives the newly created CTO office a company-wide mandate rather than one focused on an individual Disney business.
The appointment comes as media and entertainment companies continue to examine how AI and digital technologies can support content discovery, personalisation, consumer products and internal operations. Disney has itself been testing AI-powered search and discovery features across ESPN and Disney+.
For Anand, the move marks a transition from leading a generative AI company to overseeing technology across one of the world's largest entertainment businesses.
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