Media and publishing
10 Disney engineering leaders
These ten people hold or have held director-level or higher engineering and technology roles at Disney, including chief technology officers of Walt Disney Animation Studios and The Walt Disney Studios. A reader can learn how these leaders run engineering organizations at Disney.
Professionals to explore
01—10Ajeet Kumar Tiwari
LinkedInExperience: Director of Engineering · The Walt Disney Company
Director of Engineering at The Walt Disney Company since December 2025, based in Bengaluru; the profile describes the role as covering Ad Platform Engineering across Linear, Addressable, Data, Infra, Quote to Cash, Self-service, AI, ML and Ad serving. Former Senior Manager, Software Development at Amazon (2015–2025).
Cynthia Bruyns Maxwell
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Software Engineering · Disney Entertainment and ESPN Technology
Vice President of Software Engineering at Disney Entertainment and ESPN Technology since November 2022; the profile says the role leads the Apple and Android teams in the Consumer Software Engineering group. Former Director of Engineering, Animation Studio Technology at Netflix (2021–2022) and Engineering Manager, Animation Studio Technology at Netflix (2020–2021).
Eddie Drake
LinkedInExperience: EVP, CTO Studio Technology and Operations · The Walt Disney Studios
EVP, CTO Studio Technology and Operations at The Walt Disney Studios since March 2026; the profile says the role leads advanced production technology and services across major studio banners, which its headline lists as Disney Live Action, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures. Former Head of Technology, Marvel Studios at Marvel Studios (2017–2024).
Jay Donnell
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President, Software Engineering · The Walt Disney Company
Senior Vice President, Software Engineering at The Walt Disney Company since May 2023, a role the profile lists at the Senior level in the Engineering and Technical department. The profile headline describes Jay Donnell as Senior Vice President Of Technology at The Walt Disney Company.
Joseph Bird
LinkedInExperience: Executive Director Software Engineering · The Walt Disney Company
Executive Director Software Engineering at The Walt Disney Company since December 2021; the profile says Joseph Bird leads the Engineering & Insights AI org across Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, managing a $100M+ portfolio and a 90+ person team. Former Director - Software Engineering at Disney Streaming (2019–2021).
Kathy de Paolo
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Engineering · The Walt Disney Company
Former Vice President, Engineering at The Walt Disney Company (2015 to March 2026). The profile describes driving AI, data and emerging technology at Disney. It also lists Engineering Leadership Roles at Qualcomm, where the profile says Kathy de Paolo led chipset software teams.
Kevin Plumb
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President of Engineering · The Walt Disney Company
Senior Vice President of Engineering at The Walt Disney Company since October 2022; the profile describes leading strategy, transformation and execution across streaming, direct-to-consumer platforms, digital technology, media and broadcast. Former Vice President of Engineering at The Walt Disney Company (2012–2022). The profile also lists a Senior Director of Engineering role there that ended in 2012.
Mayank Sachan
LinkedInExperience: VP Engineering, Growth, Commerce, and Identity · The Walt Disney Company
VP Engineering, Growth, Commerce, and Identity at The Walt Disney Company since June 2025, a role the profile lists at the President/Vice President level. Former VP Engineering, Commerce and Growth at The Walt Disney Company (2019–2025) and former Engineering Leader, Payments at Netflix (2012–2019).
Mike Hanley
LinkedInExperience: SVP, Consumer Software Engineering Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology · The Walt Disney Company
SVP, Consumer Software Engineering Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology at The Walt Disney Company since April 2023. Former SVP, Software Engineering Disney Streaming (2022–2023) and VP, Software Engineering Disney Streaming Services (formerly Bamtech Media) (2018–2021) at Disney Streaming, and former VP, Software Engineering at BAMTECH Media (2017–2018).
Nick Cannon
LinkedInExperience: Chief Technology Officer · Walt Disney Animation Studios
Chief Technology Officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios since January 2016; the profile shows the role as current, with a tenure of 10 years and 8 months, based in Burbank, California. It lists the role at the C-Level in the Engineering and Technical department.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's area to your question: studio CTOs suit questions about production technology, while streaming and consumer software engineering leaders suit questions about apps, commerce and platform engineering. Check whether the relevant Disney role is current or past before asking how Disney builds software today.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How do you structure engineering teams that serve several streaming brands from shared platforms?
- 02What does it take to run production technology for film studios alongside consumer software engineering in one company?
- 03How should an engineering leader decide which platform capabilities to centralize and which to leave with product teams?
Reaching Disney engineering leaders
How can I contact one of these Disney engineering leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 4 companies, including The Walt Disney Company, Disney Entertainment and ESPN Technology and The Walt Disney Studios, based on profile data retrieved on October 5, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Disney engineering leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
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About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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